UNDISCLOSED DESIRES
by caterpe36
Summary: Everyone has had that one bad relationship where it felt like their soul has been taken, but never has it been so literal.
1. Prologue

So there I was. It was night and the room was dark except for the moonlight coming from the stained glass window. **He** was just standing there, back facing me and **His** fist shut tight. Then, **He** released **His** grip right as **He** whispered something under **His** breath. **His** sword dropped to the floor but landed with no sound. It was like someone had pressed the mute button on life. The figure on the floor was unconscious. Then, **He** tilted **His **head back and gave out a big, evil laugh, but suddenly stopped. **He** swiftly turned **His** head to the side, looking over **His **shoulder, and I flinched at the sight. **His** eyes were bright red, and on **His** face…a devious smile forming…


	2. Moving In, Getting Cozy

**Friday, August 19****th****, 2011**

After putting on my after-shower-clothes, I combed my hair out and parted it over. School started in three days. I still didn't know whether I was excited or not. I did have an awesome summer. I spent much of it with Alexander, my boyfriend of three months, and even when summer football started, we still got to spend time together. That was because I was the trainer for the football team.

I wrapped my hair in a towel then walked out of my bathroom with a facial cleansing towel. I scrubbed my face as I walked towards the series of windows that looked out to the front. I gazed out of the window that stretched from the floor all the way to the ceiling. The house on the right was being moved into and I could just barely see the front steps, but had a great view of the circle driveway.

I, Amanda Hicks, live in Highland Park on one of those gated community streets, and I use the term gated loosely. It's not one where each house is the same, each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. I like living in a gated community, I feel safe.

Highland Park is a part of the Park Cities which is a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Those that don't live in HP, as we like to call it, aren't necessarily fond of us. They think we're all snobby rich kids, which isn't necessarily true. My best friend Caroline Landry lives in a duplex with her mom and dad and they're barely making it by. Sadly, I'm sort of a stereotype. My dad's known as one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Dallas (my school's football team takes advantage of this), so we're not exactly short on money, as you will see from my house.

It was a late August Friday afternoon. I had spent most of the day at football practice, so I seriously needed a shower. The air was dry and the sun was making the glass of my windows so hot that if I touched it, it seemed as though blisters would spring up on my hands. It hadn't rained all summer so it sucks for the movers who had been moving boxes into the house next door for the past couple of days. It was a big house, about the size of mine with the exception of more rooms, and the fact that each room was like a five star hotel suite. I remember taking a tour of it when the Hewitts lived in that house. They were good people. The parents were respectable but loved to have parties. Whenever they had a neighborhood dinner party, Mrs. Hewitt would always drink to the point of no return. Then all the other adults would get drunk too and start singing karaoke!

This one kid, Richard Price, who is in my brother's grade, would record all of them singing and post it on YouTube. One time, he recorded a group of them singing so hilariously that it got over one million hits. It was this one where the adults were singing "I Got You Babe"by Sonny and Cher when all of a sudden, Mrs. Pratt threw up on Mr. Wilkinson. Then apparently one of the adults hates the sight of throw up, so she threw up on someone else and then passed out (probably because she was just really drunk). I wasn't there to see it in person (you'll find out why later), but it was the funniest thing I had ever seen! After that, the Hewitts never held another neighborhood dinner party again.

The Hewitts had five kids, an eldest daughter and four boys, and this year, their last son went to college. His name was Henry. He's three years older than me. When we were younger, he'd always defend me whenever the other neighborhood kids would pick on me because I was smaller and the youngest on our street. I've had the biggest crush on him since I was little. He had this shaggy, blonde hair that would make him look hot no matter how messy it was, and the prettiest brown eyes I had ever seen. As he got older, he got cuter, and to my dismay, I wasn't the only one who noticed. Each school semester he had a different girlfriend and they'd get prettier and prettier each time.

One time (at the beginning of my freshman school year) I didn't have a ride home from school so I got stuck there till five. I was sitting out front on the flag pole, waiting sullenly for my brother to pick me up. He had football until six, and my parents were always working so that was out of the question. Henry must've just gotten out of baseball because he drove by me and stopped.

"Hey Amanda! You need a ride?" he screamed at me.

I looked up in shock. The passenger window of his dark blue Escalade was rolled down. "You sure?" I hollered back.

He was quiet for a second, probably thinking. "No." He then drove off.

I watched pathetically as his car drove away and then continued to text Caroline, my best friend. I guess I kind of expected that.

"Yeah I'm sure! Get in!"

My head snapped up to see his car back where it was before. I picked up my green backpack and bolted to his car.

After that, he gave me rides almost everyday after school, even after I joined athletic trainer. I guess you could say we became really good friends.

In December, at the last dinner party when the video was made, he noticed how bored I was (before the parents got drunk). He and I went to his room and talked, and I tried to keep my distance because I was only a freshman and he was a senior. He laughed at all my witty comments and I laughed at his, but nothing noteworthy ever happened between the two of us. However, there were moments when we would just stop talking and stare at each other. I wanted to kiss him SO BADLY, and I could have because I no longer had a boyfriend. Unfortunately, the fact that I was a freshman hindered that. The rule is, seniors DO NOT hookup with freshmen.

Now Henry is gone, so who would want a house that big when there's only two people to use it? So Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt sold the house and moved to a smaller community, and smaller house, somewhere in Austin.

What's weird is that the new family has two kids and one parent. How dumb! There are hundreds of rooms in that house, what are three people gonna do with a house that big?

I continued to watch the movers go in the house with their hands full with either boxes or furniture and come out completely empty. Then, I saw a beige Lexus pull up to the house's front steps. Three of the four doors opened. A woman came out of the driver's seat, a girl came out of the back, and a boy came out of the passenger's side.

I gasped and quickly flew back and closed my curtains. I knew who the family was. The Nathansons!

My parents and the Nathansons have a mutual friend, the Cades. The Cades introduced us to the Nathansons when I was in elementary school. Mr. Nathanson was a middle school teacher. Mrs. Nathanson was a widely respected, and rich, geologist. A couple of years ago, Mr. Nathanson mysteriously disappeared. There has been no sign of him since he disappeared. He's suspected to be dead...or in Mexico. Now Mrs. Nathanson has been raising Nancy, who's three grades younger than me, and the son, Chris, one grade younger. They also have fraternal twins, from Mrs. Nathanson's previous marriage, that are probably seven years older than me. One boy and one girl, Isaac and Johanna. I've never met them. Last year, at the beginning of ninth grade, I dated Chris for a couple of months until I finally ended it. I like to say he was the BIGGEST mistake of my life.

He never told me he was moving next door to me. That is most likely attributed to the fact that I hate him, therefore we don't talk. I can't stand him, I don't know if he dislikes me or not, and frankly my dear, I don't give a damn (if you know the reference, kudos to you).

I'm about to start tenth grade and I planned on having a great year but now that he's moved next door, I don't think this year will be able to live up to those expectations.

I stood up and darted out my door towards the grand staircase in the front entry, down the staircase and into the kitchen.

I reached the ornate Tudor style kitchen and saw my mom making her famous spinach salad that she makes only for special occasions. In the oven was pork tenderloin and green beans. The corn was cooking in a pot that rested on the stove. I ran up to her and exclaimed, "Mom!"

She was cutting up a green apple. Her long brown hair that hung over her shoulder looked just like mine when I didn't straighten it. Beautiful waves that worked more for her than it did for me. She had light brown eyes and was pretty yet average looking just like me. She was wearing a Persian red, short sleeved blouse tucked into her dark Seven jeans with a light brown leather Prada belt looped through her belt straps. Even though it's summer, and a hundred degrees outside, my mom will still wear jeans.

"Calm down Amanda," my mom commanded to me, calmly.

"But Mom, I found out..."

She interrupted me, "Could you please chop up this onion for me? I need to finish this before the Nathansons get here."

My mouth fell open with shock. "What? You knew and you didn't even tell me?" I walked to the pantry and took out a cutting board.

She shrugged. "I thought you knew."

I started to chop the onion that was laying out on the counter. I didn't respond to that, thought it was best not to. My mom knew that I didn't know, she just didn't want to tell me so I wouldn't go and try to make plans to avoid this get-together. "So you invited them, why?" I put the onion I had chopped into the salad.

She looked up with a stern look on her face. "Because it would've been rude not to."

I felt like I was being held underwater against my will. She knew what he did. How mean he was to me! How much I _hated _him with a passion!

Then the door bell rang. I looked at my reflection in the oven window. My hair was still in the towel. My face was makeup-less. I completely forgot to dry my hair after seeing Chris. I ran past Mom who was going to answer the door. I ran up the stairs just in time.

When she opened the door I heard my mom say, "Hello Paige!"

I shut the door to my room before I could hear her greet the other two. I ran into my bathroom and finished getting my hair ready. I put on my usual make-up and went into my walk-in closet and right into my cute but formal shirts section. I chose a black, mid sleeve shirt that had a triangle of silver sequins on the shoulders with the bases touching the, I guess you could say, sides of the collar. I chose a pair of white jean shorts to go with it and paired it with my silver gladiator sandals.

I walked out of my closet and stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. I looked fine. Nothing special. I didn't even straighten my hair. I didn't want to seem like I'm trying since Chris is here.

I left my room and headed down the winding staircase. There were a menagerie of voices coming from the living room, and no one noticed when I walked in. Leaning against the wall by the room entrance was my brother, Odys. His real name is Odysseus. Weird, I know. When my parents got married, my dad was having a rough time finding a hospital that needed an orthopedic surgeon, after he got fired from his last job because of cut backs. My mom was some big shot business man's secretary. They weren't making enough money. Then, my mom got pregnant with Odys and they had no clue what they were going to do. They couldn't even support themselves so how they were going to afford a baby was beyond anyone's understanding at the time. They loved Odys, don't get me wrong, but it troubled, and angered, them that there just weren't sufficient funds. Hence the name Odysseus. They were so close to putting him up for adoption, but then a gift from God came to them. Like I was saying, my dad was applying for jobs at every hospital he could find. Baylor had an opening for an orthopedic surgeon because their last one quit to go help down in South America or Africa. The pay was amazing. It got even better after I was born when he got promoted to head of orthopedic surgery.

"C is for oh crap," he whispered to me, a phrase I had made up for Chris whenever I saw him after we broke-up. My brother was wearing a sea bass green polo NOT tucked in to his khaki shorts with brown Sperry Topsiders. He looked like my dad. Short blonde hair with dark blue eyes, but he was much taller.

I shot him an evil glare. I used to say that about Chris when I would see him at random places.

I looked around the room and sitting on my couch, MY COUCH, with his back facing me was Chris. He was sitting on the specific light green section where I always could be found, the corner. HE KNOWS THAT'S MY FAVORITE SPOT! He's just trying to piss me off (which he has succeeded in doing).

My mom was standing in the front of the room with my dad who was wearing a crisp white polo tucked into his long khaki pants with a regular, brown belt. He was similar to my mom, average looking, resembling like an older version of Odys. Him and my mom were high school sweethearts when she was a freshman and he was a sophomore. My mom was rambling about the neighborhood, her usual spiel to new neighbors. Then she did the most awful thing she could've done. Something to make this night even worse... She directed everyone's attention at me with a simple phrase. "There you are Amanda!"

Everyone turned and looked at me, even Chris. He looked almost the same. His auburn brunette flow was grown out but his brown eyes still harbored that sad gleam from one year ago. He was wearing a long, light blue collared shirt. Probably also wearing the typical khaki shorts.

Suddenly, he shot me this smile, not the one he gave me when we were dating, but a different one that said, "Hey, I don't really want to be here but I'll smile and be polite anyway."

A smile is worth a thousand words.

My dad joined in so he would seem just as much a host as my mom. "Now that she's here, we can start dinner."

We all sat down in the dining room, one of my favorite places in the house. The color scheme is silver. A silver Christmas is what I like to call it. The table was long, fit eight people on each side and one at each end. It looked absolutely extravagant. The shiny glass top was supported with a stand that was made of dark mahogany wood and looked like a tree trunk with multiple swirling branches supporting the glass. The centerpiece, seemingly miles away from where we sat, was a silver treelike vase that had white orchids popping out of every branch. There were two other centerpieces on each side of the main one that marked the two other sections of the table. They were smaller, little glass ball vases filled with glistening water that had a small floating candle and delicate white petals floating in the water. More orchids would be overkill. Above the middle sections of the ornate table hung a bubble chandelier that had glass orbs of different sizes that looked like they were floating all over the place even though they were all stuck in one spot. They were attached by a string to a flat, rectangular plate on the ceiling that was a mirror. For the chairs, they were light silver chairs that were white cushioned.

My dad sat on the end, my mom sitting on one side of him and Mrs. Nathanson on the other. I sat next to my mom and Odys sat next to me. Nancy sat across from me and Chris sat across from my brother.

I sat silent during dinner unless Mrs. Nathanson spoke to me.

From the corner of my eye Chris would look at me, but I never so much as glanced at him.

He and my brother had conversations about football and who knows what while I asked Nancy about her summer and if she was excited to be a seventh grader. The parents were having this big conversation about school arrangements.

Then it was my dad's turn to make this night worse. "Odys or Amanda can definitely take Chris to school." When I heard Chris's and my name in the same sentence, that caught my attention.

Really, Dad? Really?

"I can't since this year since I don't have a first period," Chris informed Dad.

I think my family hates me. It's as if their life goal, their purpose in MY life, is to make me miserable.

"Then Amanda can take him! Maybe Amanda can even show Chris around when he's at Fish Camp! Those tours don't help because it's not like anyone pays attention. And maybe even walk his schedule with him. Last year, Amanda made the mistake of going into the wrong classrooms two periods in a row!"

The parents laughed, and I think I even heard the other three "young adults" laugh, too. I gave my mom a look that showed she had said too much.

They're acting as if they don't remember that month of hell caused by him! Or they just don't care…

I could tell this made Mrs. Nathanson uncomfortable. I'm glad she understood. I loved Nancy and Chris's mom. Every time I saw her after Chris and I broke up, she was still nice to me and gave me hugs. "It's totally fine. I can just take Chris and Nancy myself," Mrs. Nathanson interjected.

Under the table, I was crossing my fingers.

"Paige, Amanda doesn't mind. Right Amanda?"

I was about to make up some excuse but my mom gave me a look that said don't you dare. "Yeah, I don't mind," I said halfheartedly, looking down at the empty plate set before me. I couldn't take this anymore. "Can I please be excused?"

My mom looked at my plate. "Sure. But I want you to take other people's plates, too."

I sighed and picked up my brother's plate.

"I'll help," Chris offered. He started picking up the plates on his side. He reached for my dad's plate but I snatched it before he could. I walked to the kitchen with my hands full and set the dishes in the giant sink with Chris following close behind.

I started to leave the kitchen.

"Amanda, wait."

I stopped and turned around. "What Chris? What?! What is there left to talk about?"

And on that note, Chris was left alone in the kitchen while I stormed out.

I went to the other side of my house, the side that housed our indoor pool. I sat on the side, took off my shoes, and splashed my feet around. It was a dark blue, rectangular pool that had a hot tub as one of the corners.

Suddenly my butt buzzed and I pulled out my black iPhone 4 from my back pocket. I looked on my screen and saw I had six text messages from my best friend, Caroline. The first one said, **"Hey!"** But then the others said either, "**Are you dead?"**, or, **"Where are you?"**.

Caroline and I have been best friends for years. We're inseparable.

I texted her back and told her everything that happened since I had gotten out of the shower.

She responded with an, **"OMFG!"**

I responded with an, "**I know**."

I laid my phone next to me and looked around the room. I like this room. This room is where I like to think. It's my quiet place. When I was little, I'd come in here and hide behind the mosaic mermaid bar whenever I was in trouble. My mom or dad would always find me crying in there, it depended on who wasn't mad at me.

"Hey," (goodbye silence) Chris said when he appeared on the opposite side of the pool. He looked around "I forgot how big and amazing this place was. Funny I remembered how to find the pool, huh?"

At that moment I remembered when it was still summer and we would have our friends over at my house and we'd all go swimming. In those days, Chris and I would leave and go hang out in my tree house and just talk. He continued, probably trying to hurry before I ran off again, "I know you hate me but if it makes it any better I don't hate you." I rolled my eyes. "The way I treated you was wrong," he said, looking down. I started to rise. "Wait!"

I lowered myself back to the tile.

"But, after a while, I started to regret how we ended and how bad that month was, and I wanted to say sorry but I could never bring myself to. Especially since you deleted me from your Facebook friends." HAHAHA! He noticed! He started towards me. "I want you to know that I am sorry for everything."

"Well, thank you for your honesty and your apology, but nothing you say can change what happened that month."

He sat down two feet from me. "I know," he agreed.

I watched my feet splash the water. I kept kicking harder and harder the more nervous I got until I accidentally splashed him. He sat looking shocked for a little while before I spoke.

"I'm _so_ sorry," I told him, but I didn't know what I was sorry about. We started to laugh.

"It's okay, I deserved it." I guess about both things.

"Yeah, for being a douchebag," I informed him. He proceeded to splash me. "I deserved that." He didn't even have to say what it was for. We laughed and splashed each other more. I stopped and realized something. He stopped after realizing the same thing. I got up and started to walk away but he grabbed my hand and tried to pull me back down but instead pulled me into the pool. I swam to the surface, gasping for air, and saw a huge grin plastered on his face. "Chris! Are you kidding me?" He started laughing. I grabbed both of his legs and pulled him in.

He came up from underwater. "My mom is gonna kill me if she sees me all wet!" he exclaimed.

I looked down at myself. "Yeah, my mom will kill me too. Here, um…" I thought about what we should do. "I have a dryer in my room that we can use." I jumped out of the pool with Chris in tow. I picked up my phone and we went to the exit. Close by sat a stack of towels. I handed him one and took one for myself while popping my head out of the door and listening for noises. "Okay, when I say three I want you to run as fast as you can to the stairs and up and then go to my room." He nodded his head. I took one final look around and saw no one coming. "Three!" I swiftly slid the door open and we started sprinting.

Soon our running turned into a race, we were slipping all over the place. Sometimes because we pushed each other. Neither of us made a sound because we knew we'd get caught the moment a noise was made. It may be a big house but noise travels fast through the thin walls.

We reached the hulking staircase and started to climb it. At the same time we reached the top and then sat down for a breather.

"So we both won?" Chris said to me between shallow breaths.

I nodded as I tried to resume normal breathing patterns.

As soon as we heard our parents coming from downstairs, we sprinted for my room. We both ran inside and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Chris looked around my room and sat up. "Woah! I've never been in your room before." He got up and started scanning every individual thing I owned. From my furniture to the pictures of me or with friends or family. I remembered that he never had been IN my room. I would make him stand outside the door because I wasn't allowed to have boys in there… Suddenly, there was a knock on my door.

"Amanda? You in here?"

SHIT! I ran up to him and started pushing him towards the door hidden behind the curtains that leads to my balcony. "Chris! You're not allowed to be in here," I whispered. When we reached them, I flung the curtains open then pried the doors open. With Chris following me, we ran out onto the balcony. I pushed him into the corner. From outside, I grabbed the curtains.

"Amanda?"

I closed them. Then I reached for the door handle on the outside.

"We're coming in to show Mrs. Nathanson your room." I quietly closed the doors.

"Amanda, aren't they..." I pushed him against the wall in the corner and covered his mouth. I heard the door to my room open and my mom talking.

I was looking off to the side, trying to hear for when they left. Then, I realized something. I looked at Chris starting at his shoes and slowly scanned up to his face. I took my hand off his mouth to reveal a smile. A devious smile. I didn't realize how tall he had become. Last time I saw him up close, he was five foot six. He must be about five foot nine now. I stared into his brown eyes, and he stared right back into my green eyes. His eyes were starting to sparkle. They began to sparkle the way they did when we were dating and he would lovingly stare at me. The way Caroline would describe them when he would be staring at me without me noticing. I looked away…too painful. Then I heard the door close and there was complete silence from my room.

I took my hand off his mouth and peered through the crack of the curtains into my room. It was completely empty.

"Wow," Chris sighed. I glanced up at him. "I'm guessing you haven't grown since last time I saw you. What are you, four foot eight?"

I rolled my eyes. "I am _not _a midget. More like five foot four."

He laughed. "So I _am _getting taller!"

I took the towel from his hands and backed away. I opened the doors and the curtains and walked into my room. I entered my bathroom, threw the two wet towels on the floor, and reached for a big towel from under the sink. I approached Chris, who was standing in the middle of the room. "Take off your wet clothes and put this towel on. Hand them to me when you're done. I'll change in the bathroom and you...you just change here." I turned and walked into the bathroom and started peeling off my wet clothes. I grabbed one of my plain white towels that was monogrammed with my initials and hanging on a hook. I wrapped it around me and put on underwear and a sports bra, just in case of a towel slip.

Chris knocked on the bathroom door. I cracked it open. "Here are my clothes."

I took them from his hands that were poking through the cracked door. "Thanks." Opening the dryer in the back of my bathroom, I tossed the clothes in and set it for whichever setting would dry the clothes the fastest. I got this special dryer that takes only five to fifteen minutes to dry things for when I'm in a hurry. I walked out of the bathroom and saw Chris sitting at my desk, reading one of my many journals. "Chris!"

He looked up at me waving the journal. "These songs, they're really good. You never told me that you write songs." He picked up another journal and started reading. "_And_ stories!" he said with shock laced in his voice.

"I did," I responded under my breath. He looked up at me.

He stared at me as he put the journals down, but then something must've caught his eye because he looked to the side of me. I met where his eyes were looking and saw my hidden journals under the bed. I turned around to meet his gaze, and saw him smiling a devious smile. I quickly ran for the journals and clutched them against my chest protectively. "Oh no! You're not looking in these!"

He approached me. "Why? What's in them? Your deepest, darkest secrets?" He started to reach for them and I tried to jerk away, unable to move. He caught me from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Let go of me!" I screamed playfully. He picked me up causing us to fall onto my bed. We laughed until he snatched the journals from my loose arms. "Please, no!"

The one he took had Month One on the front. He looked in it. It was pictures from when we were dating. There were dates and captions under each picture. This journal was of our first month dating. The first page held a picture that Warren took of us kissing. Our first kiss with each other.

He closed it and picked up another. It said Month Three. "Chris, I wouldn't." I reached for it but he pulled away from me. Every picture with his face was marked through, sometimes so much that it caused the page to rip. Most of the pictures had smear marks and splotches because of my tears.

"Amanda, I'm so sorry," he looked up into my eyes. I got up and wandered towards one of the windows that had the curtains open and stared mindlessly outside. I saw Mr. Martinez power walking on the sidewalk like he does every Friday afternoon.

"It doesn't matter. I'm over it." I turned around and was looking at Chris's bare chest, three inches away from my face! "Woah, Chris!"

He laughed.

I pushed him away and walked towards my desk. "That isn't funny."

When I turned around, again, he was standing there again. He pulled me in and backed me into my desk. I looked up at him with disbelief. He bent down and kissed me, but I pulled my face away. "No. Never again."

_BZZZZZZZ!_

Saved by the dryer! I pushed him away and headed for the bathroom.

Chris grabbed my hand and turned me around. "I'm sorry. I just can't help myself."

I looked up at him. "Fuck it."

When he heard those words, he knew what I meant and he grabbed my face and kissed me and I kissed him back. I felt his fingers sift through my almost dry, brown hair.

He grabbed my thighs and I jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked me over to my bed and laid me down. "You sure you want to do this?"

I nodded.

We laid on top of the covers in my bed. My head on his bare chest. We still had our towels on. We didn't do _it_ or anything else in that matter, only make-out. I didn't want to go any farther (Christian, believe it or not).

We just laid there, silent. Our silence spoke louder than words, and it was relaxing.

My phone buzzed. UGH! Caroline! I reached over to the bedside table and picked up my phone. I looked at the screen.

**Text Message from Alexander**.

SHIT!

I jumped out of the bed and ran to the dryer. I took out all the clothes out and threw them on the floor. I bent down on the floor and scoured for what I was wearing earlier. Chris appeared in the doorway.

"What's wrong?"

I kept searching. I couldn't look at him. I felt disgusted. "This was wrong. This _IS _wrong." I threw his clothes at him and stood up with mine in my hand. "Put your clothes on. We need to hurry and get to the movie room." I slammed the door and turned around. I looked at my self in the mirror. I was horrified with myself. I leaned against the door and slid down. I buried my face in my hands and started crying. What have I done?

I walked out of the bathroom and noticed him standing by my white double doors, one of them open.

"Who is..." he started to say.

"Just follow me and don't ask questions." As I started to walk out the door I realized I forgot my phone. I ran back to the bed. The covers were a mess. I searched through the mess and finally found it. I walked past him without looking at him because I knew what his face probably looked like and I was afraid to be right.

We reached the movie room without any complications. I still couldn't look him in the eye. HELL! I couldn't even look at his feet!

"Why the movie room?" he asked.

"Because this is where I hang out when my parents have people over. She'll think I was in here the whole time." I opened the door to a room that looked like a movie theater but smaller and instead of uncomfortable chairs there were couches and recliners. In the back row, sitting on a couch, was Nancy.

"Where have y'all been?"

I walked up the steps and sat next to her on the couch. "You're brother got lost and I had to go find him. If it wasn't for me, he would've gotten eaten by the pack of wolves that live in the basement." She looked at me and laughed then looked back at the projector screen. She was watching a rerun of an old _The Office _episode. He sat next to me but in a recliner.

"Are y'all dating again?"

I looked at her, confused. But she wasn't looking at me. I followed to where her eyes were looking and she was looking at our hands. His arms was on his armrest and my arm on mine. But our hands were so close together, as if they wanted to hold.

I rest my hand in my lap and shook my head with a laugh. "No."

"Well, it sure seems like it."

All of a sudden, light broke through the darkness.

"Chris? Nancy? It's time to go," said the silhouette of Mrs. Nathanson with a joyfulness in her voice.

All three of us jumped up and headed for the door. I walked with the Nathanson's and my parents to the GIANT front double doors. We all said our good-byes.

My dad opened one of them. "Thank you for coming to dinner tonight!"

"And welcome to the neighborhood!" Of course you would say that Mom.

I waved as all three of them said their thanks and all that other stuff you're supposed to say when you're leaving someone's house. After we had closed the door, and the Nathanson's turned around, I headed upstairs. My butt vibrated and out of my back pocket I took out my phone. On the screen it said **Text Message from Caroline**. I opened it but it went straight to the one from Alexander. I sat down at the top of the stairs.

"**Hey Amanders. Caroline told me you were having a rough night. I just want you to know that you're beautiful and you'll get through it! I'll pick you up tomorrow at ten so we can go have breakfast at Cafe Brazil and talk about it in person. Can't wait to see you!**"

We don't say "I love you" because we're too young to say that (we've both agreed).

I'm so glad I didn't do it with Chris...but why did I do anything at all? It was like I had forgotten all about Alexander the moment he touched my hand. Like something about Chris overcame me. Maybe it was the final piece of the puzzle I needed for full closure. The one thing Chris and I never got to do in the three months that we dated. Be intimate. And now that we did, I feel like a huge boulder has been lifted off my chest. The feelings left over from Chris were completely gone. _Finally_, I can live happily ever after with Alexander.

I then went and looked at the text from Caroline.

"**Hey! So I told Alexander that you weren't in a good mood but wouldn't tell him why. And now I'm assuming Chris is gone so… What happened?**" I turned around at the top of the stairs and saw through the massive window over the doors that Chris was the last one to go through the people gate located next to the car gate. He paused and looked back at my house. It was as if he could see me. Shivers went down my spine. Then he left.

I looked down at my phone and responded, "**Nothing**".


	3. Alexander the Awesome

Back when I was a Freshman, my first period was Biology.

Whenever Caroline and I sat in there waiting for the second bell to ring, this cute guy named Alexander would always come in to say hi to Mr. Cruise.

I didn't know his name yet so he was just another person that I didn't know in the school.

Second semester came and my dad hated the thought of me being "unproductive", so he found out about the school's athletic trainer program and had me switch into it. Athletic trainer is sports medicine where we tape and help with injuries.

There are two training rooms, one in the school gym and one in the stadium. Since I came in three weeks after second semester started, I had to be in the stadium training room until they made a new schedule for where each trainer went each week. Everyday that I was in there, Alexander always came in for physical therapy on his knee. This was how I learned his name. We talked a couple of times about random stuff, nothing special, sometimes I would help him or get him some Gatorade. Then, they figured out the new schedule and I never saw him again after my first week. I assumed he completed therapy.

In April, spring football started, so I was always in the stadium, and he always came in to get his ankle taped.

Whenever I was working outside, Caroline would come to the stadium and sit with the other trainers and I. She was going to be a trainer next year. But she would always catch Alexander looking at me, but that's it. Nothing ever happened...until the last day of spring football.

May: It was after the Thursday scrimmage. The stadium training room was wild with injuries. I had just finished dumping out and putting up the water dollies. I walked into the training room and saw how preoccupied everyone was.

"Amanda! Go help Alexander!" yelled Coach Slater as he put stem on someone's leg.

Alexander was sitting on the physical therapy tables and he was waving at me to motion to me where he was. He was trying to cut his ankle wrap off with a blue easy slicer. Before I walked over to him, I got a tub of ointment from the taping tables' drawers. When I walked up to him, he immediately handed it to me. I dipped the end of it in the ointment tub. It helps it slide faster and not irritate the skin. I placed the slicer where he left off and it sliced as easy as cutting a banana.

"Thanks," he said. I looked up at his face and saw him smiling at me with his...are those hazel eyes? Frankly, I've never been a fan of hazel eyes but they look so GOOD on him! I think it's his short, dark brunette hair or his naturally tan, glowing skin that makes them stand out. Then, something red caught my eye. On his upper, right arm was a huge cut surrounded by multiple small cuts. Blood was slowly creeping down his arm.

"Oh my God!" I grabbed his arm and examined it. "What happened?"

He shrugged as if it was no big deal and responded, "During the last play, a junior tackled me and then some player accidentally stepped on me as he was running by. But I'm fine, really." He began to get off the table, but I stopped him.

"Just let me cover it up, it won't take long."

He nodded his head in defeat. I went and got a brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide and gauze pads to clean the cuts. I poured some on a gauze pad and began to clean the blood off his arm and clean the cuts. "So what's your name?" Alexander asked me.

I threw away the bloody gauze pad and got out a new one and placed it on the cuts. "Amanda. Can you hold this?" He placed his left hand over the gauze pad while I went to the shelf under one of the taping table where all the tapes and wraps were. I got the flex tape and white tap. I placed the white tape next to him and began to wrap over the gauze with the flex tape.

"I'm Alexander. I know we've talked before but we never introduced ourselves."

I nodded and put the flex tape down and began to wrap the white tape once over the flex tape. "I remember." I ripped the tape. "There you go." I looked up at him and smiled.

He examined it for a sec, flexed his arm a bit, then smiled back at me. "Thank you." I backed away and he jumped off the table. He headed for the door but turned back around and backed away from the door. I would say just in time because he would've been trampled by a football player that was coming from outside. I giggled but he had no clue what about. "See you later, Amanda."

I smiled. "Yeah, see ya later." He walked out the door. I stood there and looked at it, hoping he would come back in.

The room was starting to quiet down.

"Who was that?" I turned around to see Hailey, the other girl trainer, looking at me with astonishment.

I shrugged. "Some guy named Alexander."

She looked at me as if I was stupid. "He was _so _into you."

OMG! Okay Amanda… Act cool. "Really?"

She laughed. "Definitely!" She walked away and went and picked up a soda out of the fridge in the office. I followed her when the coaches called all five of us into the office so they could tell us what we were gonna do tomorrow since there wasn't football and then they dismissed us.

I got my backpack and left the training room through the doors that led to the side of the stadium where the locker rooms were also located. I called my mom but she didn't answer. A few seconds later I got a text saying she was at a birthday party and to get Odys to take me since he was at the stadium (because he's in football).

I called Odys and he answered, "I have to work out for an hour, so either wait or walk home." Then he hung up. Jerk.

I would have called Henry and asked him, but he was on the bus to an away game for baseball.

God! I wish I was sixteen. Just a few months left. I didn't want to walk home because I've done it before and it's not worth it. Especially in this Texas weather!

I sat on a cement cylinder that I guess are to keep cars off the stadium property because there's no curb. Thirty minutes went by and everyone was gone...except for me and the ones that were working out.

"Do you need a ride?" I turn around and it's none other than Alexander. Boy is he _tall_! I think he might be somewhere around five foot eleven I know because Odys is six foot one.

Speaking of Odys.

"Uh… Well, I'm waiting for my brother."

He looked around. "Where is he?"  
"Well, he's working out and won't be out for another thirty minutes."

He walked in front of me and motioned with his head for me to follow him. "Here, I'll take you home."

I got up and said nervously, "Are you sure?"

He pressed the button on his key and from a distance I heard the noise of a car beeping to signal it's unlocked. "I'm sure."

We went around the corner of the indoor tennis courts that was across from the stadium. There was only one car left and it was a black, two-door Jeep Wrangler (with seats in the back also). AH! It's my dream car! The top was off so he threw his backpack in the back of the car.

"Here." He stuck his hand out for my backpack. I handed it to him, and instead of throwing it, he gently set it down in the back. I walked towards the passenger door and before I knew it, Alexander opened the door _for me_.

I hesitated, dazed by how respectful he was. "Th-thank you." I sat down and he closed the door and walked around the car to his door. Am I dreaming or is this really happening? I pinched myself. "Ouch!"

He opened the door, sat down, and looked at me with worry. "What's wrong?"

I swatted the air as if there was a mosquito. "Mosquitoes."

He laughed (a cute laugh I might add) and turned the ignition on. "Where do you live?" I told him my address.

Before he backed out, he plugged his phone into a cord that was connected to the radio and started playing AC/DC.

"Nuh-uh!"

He looked at me with shock. "What? You don't like them? Because if you don't, I can change it."

I shook my head. "No! I _love_ AC/DC!"

He sighed in relief and backed out and headed for my house. The song playing was "You Shook Me All Night Long" and it strangely felt right for the moment.

The wind was blowing in my hair, not in a good way, and I was hoping we would hit a red light. God was truly in my favor because we did. I looked in the side mirror and started to put my hair up.

"Sorry about the wind."

I looked over to him as I finished putting the pony tail holder in. His right hand was resting on the shoulder of my chair closest to him. I stared at his hand. "It's totally fine." I looked to my right because I noticed rapid movement. It was Hailey walking home.

She was waving her arms around. When I turned my head around to look at her, she mouthed, "OH MY GOD! You're with him!"

I mouthed back, "I know!" She gave me two thumbs up and I responded with a thumb up. I looked at Alexander to see if he noticed. He didn't, but he saw me looking at him and he smiled. Did I mention he has a great smile? Then something caught his eye.

"Isn't that the other girl trainer?"

I look over as if I had no clue what he was talking about. "Oh yeah, that is." She had already passed by and pretended like she didn't notice us, but I could see the smile on her face. I giggled to myself. The light turned green and we turned.

"So you're Odys Hicks' little sister?" he asked casually as if _everyone_ knew.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

He took his hand off my chair. "Lucky guess."

We laughed, in harmony!

"What's your last name?" I asked.

He smiled. "Moretti," he pronounced with a strong Italian accent.

I looked at him. "Italian?" I asked with surprise.

He shrugged. "My parents are from Italy."

"Oh!" I then noticed that we were pulling up to my house. I started to reach for my backpack in the back, but Alexander beat me to it. He handed it to me. "Thanks for the ride, Alexander."

He smiled. "No problem. And if you ever need a ride, call me."

I laughed. He totally set that up. "But I don't even have your number."

He took his phone out. "What's your number?"

Smooth. He was quite smooth. But I can't believe this is happening!

I gave him my number.

"I'll text you so you can have my number, too," he said.

I nodded, too shocked to speak. I opened the door and jumped out. "Thanks again, Alexander." I closed the door and started walking away, listening for his car to drive off so I could jump with joy. All of a sudden my butt vibrated. I took my phone out of my back pocket and it was some number not in my contacts calling me. "Hello?"

"Just making sure you didn't give me some fake number."

I turned around and Alexander was on his phone, smiling at me.

"Now why would you be afraid that I gave you a fake number?"

His smile didn't hide the nervous look on his face. "Because I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tomorrow after school?"

I tried to seem like I wasn't desperate. "Hm… Tomorrow? I think I'm free tomorrow."

His smile got impossibly bigger. "I'll meet you by the locker rooms tomorrow after school."

I nodded. "What are we going to do?"

"It's a surprise," he laughed.

"You're lucky that I like surprises."

He threw his one free arm out. "Then I'm the luckiest guy in the world!" We laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Amanda."

I turned around. "Bye Alexander."

We hung up.

I heard his car quickly drive off. I turned around to make sure he was gone, then I looked around to make sure the coast was clear.

YES! I started dancing around the driveway. I danced around the trees and screamed.

I HAVE A DATE WITH ALEXANDER MORETTI!


	4. Clean-Up On Aisle Life

**Saturday, August 20****th**

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! _I hit my alarm clock shutting it off. The memory of meeting Alexander swirled through my head.

Hm… He never did tell me how he knew I was Odys's little sister. I'll have to ask him sometime.

I looked at my clock and it read eight thirty-one.

I jumped out of bed and headed straight for the shower. Gotta smell clean for my man.

"Amanda! Alexander is outside!" Mom yelled from the kitchen.

It was ten o' clock when I ran downstairs. From inside I could hear Alexander honking.

"I'll see you later! Love you!" I yelled as I headed for the door.

"Don't forget that you're gonna take Chris at one to the high school," my mom reminded me when I ran out the door. I was too excited about seeing Alexander to worry about Chris at the moment.

Alexander's car was parked right in front of the steps. His top was off (as usual) and he took the doors off (which he does on the weekends and for the summer, when it's not raining). I love it when he takes the doors off because then I can do this.

I ran to the car and jumped through the door frame into Alexander's arms and kissed him as if I hadn't seen him in years even though I saw him yesterday at football practice.

He was about to put the car in drive but I stopped his hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked with eyes of worry.

Boy do I love how he notices. "It was a rough night and I just need to live in the moment with you right now."

He laughed and then grabbed my face and kissed me.

Something didn't feel right, as if I was being watched. I pulled back and looked at my front door but no one was there. As I turned back around to look at Alexander, I saw something in the process. I looked up to a window of the now Nathanson's house and saw Chris giving us a death glare. I couldn't look away. Alexander followed to where I was looking and as soon as he saw, Chris disappeared.

"What were you looking at?"

I looked into his hazel eyes. "I thought I saw something. Must've been a ghost."

He laughed and kissed me harder.

"So you're mom invited your ex over? That's cruel!" Alexander is the best. He's always on my side.

I picked another piece off the slice of pumpkin bread that we were sharing. "Yeah. But I understand because it would've been rude not to knowing them for _so_ long. I think she didn't tell me on purpose so that I would be there. 'I thought you knew' my ass!" I sipped my red velvet frappuccino.

He shook his head and smiled. "So what ended up happening?"

I can't tell him that I made-out with my ex. "Well… He basically asked for me back but I said, 'No! I have a boyfriend!' And then he left."

"You didn't kiss him, did you?"

I hope my face wasn't giving away any answers. "Of course not. Why would you ask such a thing?"

He casually sipped his coffee. "I'm just kidding."

The rest of breakfast was fun. We talked about football and what we hoped this school year would be like. Usually I'd go to his house afterwards, but he had to go do some special training for football and I had to go help Chris. I sat at home and watched the minutes go by. **11:30. 11:45. 12:00. 12:10. 12:25. 12:35. 12:45. **Time to go!

"Mom! I'm leaving!"

I ran to the garage and turned on the lights. Sitting at the very end, the fifth parking spot, was my beautiful red Jeep Grand Cherokee.

I jumped in my car and pushed the clicker to make my garage door open. Then, I made sure my iPhone is connected to the car by Bluetooth and started playing "Dat New New" by Kid Cudi,the remix version. Slowly, I backed out and then pushed it again to make it close. I drove through the long drive and then pushed the other button to make the gate open and then I drove through before it closed automatically. I drove to the right to the Nathanson's driveway.

Standing out front was Chris "texting" (probably doing that thing where you pretend to text so you don't look like a complete loser). Apparently he didn't hear my car pull up so I honked the horn. I could tell it scared him and I couldn't help laughing. He opened the door and sat down. He didn't look at me and I was fine with that. Today he was wearing a blue long-sleeved button-up shirt and a tie.

We reached the high school just in time for him to sign in.

"Go sign in and when you figure out who your counselor is, text me their name. I'm gonna go find a parking spot."

He nodded and got out of the car. I drove around the corner of the school and found a spot right next to a stop sign. I sat there and stared at the school. It looked different. Nothing's changed and the school doesn't seem as exciting anymore. I think it's the fact that I'm a sophomore now and I'm over the fact that I'm in high school.

My phone vibrated and it was from Chris. "**Jeffrey Graham**". Crap! I was hoping it would be some stuck up upper class-man that didn't want to get in trouble. But since it's Jeffrey… He's Alexander's BEST friend. Now he's like my second brother, and just like any brother would do, he'll give me permission to go give a tour to an annoying lower class-man just to piss me off, even if it means him getting in trouble.

I turned off the car, got out, and walked up to the school. The grass looked different. The penis and the word "fuck" was gone. Last year, as a senior prank, somehow some senior boys drew those two things into the grass. I think the school had the lawn sprayed to cover them up because the grass looked unnaturally green.

I walked inside and saw the four sign-in tables in front of the auditorium with signs saying what group of letters they were. The first table was M-P because in the morning the first group was last names A-L.

I walked into the auditorium and walked towards the front as I looked for Jeffrey. A lot of the freshmen I recognized. I said hi to the ones I liked but the ones I didn't like were staring at me like some freak. A bunch of them were girls and they were whispering to each other, probably about me. I bet you anything they're saying, "What is she doing here?" or my personal favorite, "That's the girl that dated Chris Nathanson. I bet she's here to get him back!" I saw one of the girls being whispered to was Chris' ex-girlfriend, Gail. She was very pretty with her long gold hair and her blue eyes. We made sudden eye contact. Her eyes looked different. They looked gray… Color contacts.

Up front, sitting on the stage, was Jeffrey. He was giving a freshman their information packet. She didn't look familiar.

I decided to make a scene of this, just for fun.

"Jeffrey!" I exclaimed as I reached the intersection of the front and the side aisle. He looked my way and as soon as he saw me his eyes were filled with excitement and he jumped off the stage and ran towards me.

"Amanda!" He picked me up and swung me around.

I laughed when he put me down. From the side of my eye I saw most of the crowd start whispering rapidly. Just the reaction I was looking for. Typical freshmen.

"Why are you here?" he asked with suspicion.

I was still staring at the crowd and found Chris sitting in the front row. He was talking to a bunch of his friends that were sitting around him. They were all staring at me except for him. One of them was even smiling at me, but I couldn't recognize who he was.

"I need to ask you for a favor," I said with a look of disgust on my face. "See that douchebag over there?" I pointed at Chris who's friends were still staring at me until I pointed at them. Jeffrey turned around to look at Chris and nodded. "Well, I have to give him a private tour."

He turned back around and looked angry, jokingly. "Who is he? Should Alexander be concerned? Should _I_ be concerned?"

I shook my head and laughed. "No! It's not like that! Alexander knows about this. And he also knows that the douchebag used to be my boyfriend."

He looked at me with a face of joking surprise and started laughing. "You've got to be kidding me! You dated _him_?" He said that really loud so everyone in the area could hear it. He turned towards Chris. "You sure know how to pick them."

I punched him on the shoulder and he turned towards me with a jokingly hurt look on his face. "So can I take him off your hands or what? The sooner I do this, the sooner I get it over with."

"Okay, so this is where you're gonna take your school I.D. picture and your yearbook picture. I'll wait out here."

Chris walked into the room with the two different stations. I leaned against the senior wall that faced the room. I remember my other best friend, Elaine, and I would walk down this hallway a million times and scan each and every one of the squares that belonged to a different senior that graduated that year. We'd try to figure out whose is whose since they don't really say their names on them. Some of them I knew. The ones from last school year were still there. I began to scan them and paid close attention to the ones that were really cool. It's amazing how good people at this school are at drawing.

"Oh my god did you see her and that guy?"

"Yeah, she must be dating him by the way it looked. Did you see that hug? It was like something from a cheesy romance movie."

"But she was also eyeing Chris and then they mysteriously left together and never came back."

"Can you say slut?"

I heard all of this coming from around the corner. As soon as I looked at the corner, a group of girls turned it. In that group was none other than Gail. They all stopped and looked at me with eyes of disgust. Gail broke free of the group and walked up to me.

"I don't know who you think you are but stay away from Chris! He's mine!"

WTF!? I could've sworn I remembered this girl being nice.

She was an inch taller than me, but still not intimidating. Would you be intimidated by a freshman? "Woah! You need to chill Gail." I backed away. She was in my bubble.

"My name is GRACE!"

I knew Gail didn't sound right. Grace? How ironic! "I don't care! Chris and I have nothing going on between us. And anyways, you and Chris broke up like three months ago."

"That doesn't matter! We're still…" She stopped and started staring at something behind me. I turned around and saw Alexander down the hall at the hallway intersection looking around. When he finally saw me, his eyes lit up. He was wearing his football practice T-shirt that he had cut the sleeves off of to make it a tank top (which he totally looked hot in with his muscles). There was sweat all over him but it just made him look hotter than he actually was.

"Hey!" He started to jog towards me.

I waved but saw Gail, I mean Grace, waved at him too.

"Hey!" she responded all giggly.

When he reached me and stood next me, he looked at her with confusion. "Uh, hey?" he responded to her. He turned to me and kissed me. "How's the tour going?"

From the corner of my eye I saw Grail look at me with evil eyes.

"Well, we finally finished and then I'm gonna take him home."

He smiled. "Okay, good. I just came to check up on you. Make sure he wasn't giving you any problems."

Gaice finally walked away with her group of annoying friends.

I laughed. "Oh no. Everything's fine."

"Good, or otherwise I would've had to beat him up." I laughed at him. He kissed me. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded. He kissed my forehead and jogged away.

Chris walked out and watched as Alexander jogged down the hallway. "So that's Alexander?"

I turned to him. I never told him about Alexander. He must've read my phone on last night…

"That's Alexander," I responded reluctantly.

"Thanks." Chris said with coldness before he closed the door. I watched him walk up the steps to his house then I drove off. I was ready for this day to be over. Sadly, I wanted school to start already.

**Monday, August 22****nd**

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!_ I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my curtains that were barely letting in any sunlight. I turned over and looked at my alarm clock. **6:00**. Ugh! I don't want to drive to school. I'll get Alexander to take me… But I have to also take Chris. Alexander can take us both and Chris will just have to deal with it.

I picked up my phone that was next to my alarm, charging. I started to text Alexander. "**Hey! I know this is probably the last thing you'd want to do right now but I was wondering if you could take both Chris and I to school. I'm too tired to drive.**" I set it back down and got up and headed for the shower.

I got out of the shower and went straight for my phone. I had one text from Alexander. "**Anything for you! Jeffrey's car is in the shop so I have to pick him up too. See you then!**"

I texted back, "**Okay! Thanks!**"

Chris climbed into the back of the Jeep and sat next to Jeffrey. Jeffrey was giving him a dirty look, and when I say dirty, I mean like a deep, burning hatred for him. Imagine if someone killed your favorite dog and never said sorry but laughed at their crime. That's what Jeffrey's hatred looked like.

I turned around after Alexander started driving. "Uh, y'all know each other, right? Jeffrey, you were his fish camp counselor."

Chris put his hand out, "We never actually met."

Jeffrey just kept giving him a dirty look. God, I love Jeffrey! I turned back around. Alexander broke the silence by asking Chris about football. What is up with boys and football? After that conversation ended I started to talk to Jeffrey about his car.

"What happened to it?" I noticed Alexander look in his rear view mirror and give a weird look to Jeffrey. I looked back at Jeffrey who was still looking at Alexander.

"Well, um. Some idiot didn't know I was behind him, so he backed into me and hit the front of my car."

I looked over to Alexander and gave him a weird look. "Oh. That sucks."

He smiled at me as if nothing was wrong, but I knew something was wrong. There was more to the story than he was telling me.

The rest of the ride was silent until Alexander pulled into his parking spot in the parking garage.

I walked into my eighth period class. Athletic Trainer. The day was really weird. I saw multiple freshmen that I hated and hugged the ones I liked in the middle of the hallway. I tried to avoid Chris as much as possible (knowing his schedule). We never crossed paths, thank GOD, but I did see Warren a couple of times. I gave him dirty looks.

The training room looked the same

The room was busy, just like old times. Hailey wasn't there because she moved to Chicago. But, I have Caroline. Speaking of Caroline, where is she? I looked around the room. I didn't see her once today, not even at lunch. Maybe she didn't come to school today. I went to the back room behind the office and put my stuff down. I walk back out to the main room and it was complete madness!

A football player walked into the office and told Coach Turner what was wrong.

"Amanda?"

I walk back into the office. Standing across from me is Robert Sawyer. He's a freshman, but not just any freshman, oh no! One of Chris's friends.

"I want you to take Robert to get his ankle taped."

I nodded. OH GOD! I hope this doesn't turn into another Alexander. Just kidding! I like Alexander and nothing could or would ever change that...

I led him to one of the lower tables because the high tables where we usually wrap ankles were taken. "Just a sec." I walked over to the first high table and grabbed the blue under-wrap and white stretchy tape. I walked back over to Robert and pulled up a stool. I started to wrap his ankle with the blue wrap.

"So Amanda, how was your summer?"

"Good, yours?" I responded with politeness.

"Mine was great other than the fact that Greta broke up with me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you know why?"

"She knew I had a thing with another girl."

I dropped the blue wrap and picked up the white tape. How scandalous! "Who?"

"You."

I looked at Robert and gave him the stink eye. Did Chris tell him about what happened? If he did, I will kill him. "Be serious."

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm kidding. To tell you the truth, I don't really know why." He began to shift the subject. "What were you doing with Chris yesterday?"

I sighed. "He moved in next door so my mom told his mom that I would give him a private tour of the school." Wait! "How'd you know about it?"

"First of all, _everyone_ knows about it. Second of all, I was there. Remember? You looked straight at me."

So he was the kid I couldn't recognize! I finally finished taping. "There you go."

He jumped off after I stood up and put my stool back where I got it from. "Thanks." He then walked out.

After Robert left, the training room started to quiet down. "Can all the trainers come in here?" asked the girl coach, Coach Hartford.

When I walked into the office, I saw that there were four new trainers. All of them were freshman with the exception of one, Anne. I looked to see who was here from last year. There was Freddy, Drew, and Griffin. Caroline still wasn't here. The coaches started talking about the new trainers and other junk. I stealthily pulled out my phone and texted Caroline. "**Where are you?**" I waited but she didn't answer, so I listened to the coaches talk about who knows what.

After they finished, we started setting up for outside. When I came inside to pick up another ice chest, I saw the schedule for if you were working inside or outside that was on the bulletin board in the office. I walked in there and looked at the schedule.

_RING RING RING RING! _The phone on Coach Turner's desk began to ring. He ran in and picked it up. I pretended like I was still reading the schedule so I could listen to his conversation because he started to sound distressed.

"Yes, I understand. I'll send her out right away." He hung up the phone. When he turned to me, he had that look in his eyes that people have when someone died. "Amanda, you're mom is here to pick you up. Hurry and get your things."

"Coach Turner, what's going on?"

He shook his head and turned around. "I think you should let your mom tell you."

I ran into the back room. You know that feeling when you're trying to hold back your tears so your throat gets all clogged up and it just feels like you have a giant rock in the middle of your neck. Well, that's what I'm feeling, even though I don't know what's going on, but I know it's bad. I know it's about Caroline. I put on my backpack and ran out the door into the main and only corridor of the stadium (where all the snack stands are). I was positive this was about Caroline. It's obvious. Caroline isn't here. Coach Turner gets a distressful call. I get sent out. It all matches up.

There were a bunch of football players going in and out of the locker room door that opened into the corridor and I had to dodge them.

"Amanda?!"

I spun around. Alexander was running towards me all geared up and with his football helmet in his right hand.

I didn't stop. "I'm sorry Alexander. I think something's wrong with Caroline. I have to go!" I ran away before he could reach me.

"Amanda!"

I didn't turn back around. I had to see if it was about her, but I hoped and prayed with all my heart that it wasn't.

My mom's car was parked right out front. I opened the door and jumped in and started crying. "It's about Caroline, isn't it?"

My mom looked away, she couldn't meet my gaze. I saw tears streaming down her face. "The police found her by that pancake restaurant we used to go to all the time. She was found shot and possibly hit by a car. They think she was mugged."

OH MY GOD! "Is she going to be okay?"

My mom shook her head and started driving. "She's in the hospital and they don't think she is going to make it. It was too late, she lost too much blood. She just can't fight it. Something in her won't let her fight for life."

I began to wail. What was she doing all the way over there? I cried the whole way to the hospital, even when my mom was on the phone. My mom led the way through the winding halls of Baylor Hospital to Caroline's room. When I walked in, her mom was in a chair by her bed holding her hand, staring intently at Caroline's blank, lifeless face. Her dad was talking to a doctor in a hushed tone. Family members were everywhere, encircling Caroline's bed. I looked at her. Her whole face was cut and bruised, black and blue. Her nose was broken. Her arms looked just the same, clearly she fought her mugger. I barely recognized her with her usually perfect blonde hair having blood in it. I pulled up a chair next to Caroline's mom, Leesa.

She turned to me and wiped her smeared mascara with a handkerchief. "I'm really glad that you're here. She needs you in her final moments. You're her best friend and she loves you so much."

I hugged Leesa. "Thank you." The tears started to flow again.

"Do you want time alone to say good-bye to her?"

I didn't know what to say. Like her mom said, those were her final moments. They should be the ones to see her before she's gone. Without my response, she got up and had everyone leave.

"We'll be right outside," my mom assured me.

I sat in the chair and stared at Caroline. Grabbing her hand, I began to weep. I was going to lose my best friend. Suddenly, she began to moan and stir, moving her head from side to side.

"Amanda, is that you?"

I stood up rapidly. "Yes, Caroline. I'm here!"

She opened her eyes enough to where I could see her light blue eyes, but only a little. "I'm sorry I couldn't kill him."

"Caroline, what are you talking about? Kill who?"

She turned her head side to side as if she was saying no. There were tears streaming down her face. "Don't let them win like I did."

The tears came faster and faster as she slowly started to close her eyes. "Kill who?! Let who win?!"

"Amanda, I love you."

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEP!_

"CAROLINE! NO!"

At that instant, I fell on my knees, not letting go of her hand even though hers became limp. I closed my eyes when I heard the door swing open. Screams came from outside. Doctors ran in, pushing past the hoards of crying relatives, and tried to jump start her heart back into rhythm. Someone came in and scooped me up. I was persistent to let go over her hand, but eventually the person carrying me won and carried me out of the room like a baby. I opened my eyes to look over their shoulder. All I could see was her face surrounded by white lab coats. It seemed peaceful as the doctors continually tried to shock the life back into her. As the screams started fading, I slowly blacked out from the agony.

I woke up in someone's arms, still being cradled. They were rocking me back and forth. This reminded me of when I woke up after having surgery on my arm. My mom was cradling me and rocked me in a rocking chair in some room at the hospital.

I looked up to see if it was my mom, but was surprised by who I found. "Alexander?" He looked down at me but didn't smile. "She's gone, isn't she?"

He nodded and then hugged me close to his chest. I tried not to cry too much but I still let the tears roll down my face. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him, but then he started to cry so I bawled harder.

My best friend is gone. I watched her die. I heard her last words. What did she mean she couldn't kill him? And don't let who win? Is she talking about that game of assassin someone started in our grade? No...no. There's no way. This is real. What ever she was saying had something to do with her death. She was murdered. Murdered trying to kill someone. What the fuck! Caroline...trying to kill someone? That's nonsense! She's fifteen! And why was she saying sorry to me? Was it...my fault?

"Alexander, I want to go home."

He pulled back and began to hesitate. "Uh, okay. Sure. Your mom had to leave so I'll take you home," he spoke with a soft tone.

I stood up and he followed me out the door, holding my hand, but I stopped in the doorway and turned towards him. "Did you skip practice because of me?"

"The coach let me go. I told him about Caroline after I called your mom."

I continued walking. I remembered I texted Caroline's phone. I wondered if there were any clues on there as to why she was all the way by the pancake house.

"Alexander, I need to go talk to Mrs. Landry."

He nodded.

We walked up to the room Caroline was in. The coroner rolled her body in the bag out the door past me. I think I'm gonna be sick! I started to throw up and faint at the same time, but I swallowed it when Alexander caught me from falling. I looked up at him to see him looking at the coroner taking her body and then there came the point when he couldn't look anymore. The look he had on his face was strange. It showed regret.

I stood up with help from Alexander and walked into the room. Leesa was sitting in the chair next to the bed, still crying with her head in her hands. I sat down next to her. "Leesa, why was Caroline all the way over there?"

She shook her head and took her face out of the palms of her hands. "We don't know. She was there in her bed when I said goodnight to her. The next thing I know, the police are at my door at three in the morning telling me they found her body on the other side of the Park Cities."

"Have you checked her phone? Maybe that'll have something."

She shook her head in distress. "They can't find it. I can't find it. The police think that whoever mugged her took her cell phone and whatever else she had on her."

Did she try to kill her mugger? No. That wouldn't explain why she was all the way over by the pancake house. And how would she had been able to kill her mugger if she wasn't expecting it? Whatever happened last night...it was planned.

"Amanda?" She looked at me with tear filled eyes. "What did she say to you?"

"She said she that she wanted us to be strong and she wanted everyone to know that she loves us." I wasn't gonna tell her what she _actually_ said. She'd think her daughter went crazy. No one wants to hear that their daughter was crazy in her final moments. "Did she say anything to you before I came?"

"Every so often she'd wake up and say something. One time she even asked for you...and Alexander." Alexander? Why would she want Alexander? She was quiet for a second. "I want you to speak at her memorial. She'd want you to."

I nodded my head, hugged her, and got up. Alexander was in the doorway looking at me with sadness in his eyes. When I reached him, he put his arm around me and kept it there until we reached his car.

I laid in my bed and looked at my ceiling. It was the same day as Caroline's passing. When I got home, I had Alexander close all my curtains and turn off all the lights in my room. I told him to go, but he insisted that he stay with me. We fell asleep for about an hour or two on my bed.

Yeah, yeah. I know what you're thinking. _I thought she's not allowed to have boys in her room! _Well, my parents gave him permission to watch over me while they were gone so that basically means he can be in my room.

"Amanda, how are you doing?" He began to comb my hair with his fingers. I love it when he plays with my hair, it's soothing.

"Well, I stopped crying. I don't think I can cry anymore." He was silent. "Alexander, Caroline said something to me right before she died."

"Yeah, I know. I heard what you told her mom."

I shook my head. "No...no. That's not what she _actually_ said. She said something different. Something...strange." He stopped combing my hair. "She said she was sorry she couldn't kill him and told me to not let them win. I don't think this was some ordinary mugging."

I could tell he was trying not to laugh. I knew he wouldn't understand. "Amanda, she lost _a lot_ of blood. She was probably hallucinating."

"Yeah. Probably." NOT!

"Hey, let's go to dinner somewhere. How about Penne?"

I stuffed my face into my pillow and shook my head.

"That's your favorite place! It'll cheer you up."

I spoke into my pillow, "I'm not hungry."

"What? Take your head out of your pillow, I can't hear you," he laughed.

I sat up. "I'm not hungry!"

He placed his left hand on my back. "You sure?" he asked with care.

I looked away and nodded my head.

He walked out in silence after he kissed my head and said, "I'm here for you if you need me."

The only way I was gonna figure out anything about her murder is if I had her phone. It could explain everything. I got out of my bed and crawled towards my windows. I barely opened the curtain. Alexander was driving towards the gate. As soon as he went through the gate, I ran out my door and headed for the garage. My whole family was at some back to school party at a friends house.

I opened the garage door with the clicker thing in my car and started to back out. I was gonna go to the place where it all happened.

I parked across the street at the Original Pancake House. This area isn't very crowded at this time so I could walk around without getting hit. It was still a little bit light outside even though it was getting late. Thank you day light savings. I tried to imagine what happened in my head. I thought of every possibility. If she was trying to kill someone, she'd be running after them. And wouldn't she have some sort of weapon with her? Okay, so what if the person she ran after somehow got ahold of her weapon and took it? That's probably right.

I walked into the middle of the intersection. There was a blood stain right there waiting to be washed away by the rain. On either side of the blood stain were skid marks. That couldn't have been a coincidence. So maybe she was shot by the person she was chasing and then another person came to rescue Caroline's killer and hits her. So what if then she goes flying over the car. Where did she land?

I carefully calculated what the evidence so far was pointing at. I walked the opposite way that the car was coming from. I scanned from left to right for any blood stains. The evidence led me to the sidewalk corner where there was an even bigger stain of blood (I should be on CSI).

This is where she was left for dead.

I pulled out my phone and began to call her phone. She always had it on sound. She's notorious for always having it go off during class.

Faintly, I could hear it ringing. Her ring tone was one of those annoying ones that the iPhone offers.

The noise was not coming from far. It was close within her reach of where she laid. The noise was coming from underground in the grass. I began to dig. I finally hit something hard. With my hand, I grabbed it and pulled it out of the ground. I stopped calling her. First, I went to the call menu and it said she had fifteen missed calls, not including the one that just happened. The first six were from an unknown number, possibly the police. The next five were from friends, including me when I tried calling her this morning at school. The last four were from the same number. Alexander. All of them after he had a ten-second phone call with her when she called him. Each of them were one after another. It was strange.

I went to see who had texted her, and the one in the menu that stood out the most was one from Alexander. It was sent after her missed calls from him. "**You're going to regret this.**" I clicked on their conversation but there was nothing before that except normal conversation.

I stood up and walked to my car.

As I walked through the middle of the road, her phone began sparking. I threw it on the ground and it started to catch on fire.

As I watched it burn, I thought to myself…

_Alexander...what have you done?_


	5. Guess Who

**Sunday, August 21****st**

My intention wasn't to even kill her in the first place.

Caroline.

Yes, I was born to kill, but she wasn't my target. She's not the one I want. But she found out about who I am from _him_. If I had known that he told her earlier, I would've killed her the moment she found out. He was smart. He spent the summer training her to help him destroy me. All of this just for _her_. To protect _her_ from me.

Caroline's judgement was clouded with anger the night that I killed her. She wanted to kill me before she was even ready. That is how the beginning of her end started.

She came to my house and I ran. She was behind me the whole time and I could never seem to lose her. The good part was that she wouldn't shoot at me. I knew why. She didn't want to waste her bullets.

There was a brief moment when she fell into a trench and I was able to lose her for a short period of time.

When I got to that area by the Original Pancake House, I climbed up a tree next to the corner of the sidewalk. When she finally came running up the street, she stopped and looked around. When her back was turned to me, I ambushed her. I jumped from the tree onto her. She shot me midair in the shoulder, but that'll heal by the time I kill her. I tried to beat the gun out of her hand when I got on top of her. In that struggle, I broke her nose and punched her in the eye. She did hit me a couple of times, but it won't show up on me.

I finally knocked the gun out of her hand and it slid to the middle of the big intersection. We both got up and ran to it, but she beat me. Before she could shoot me to my death less than a foot away from me, I clenched her throat with one hand, slammed her into the ground, which caused the gun to go off (but didn't hit me), and took the gun right out of her hand and pointed it at her.

I looked her in the eyes as she gasped for air. "Tsk tsk tsk Caroline." I laughed a laugh of pity for how pathetic she was and walked away knowing that her strength wouldn't come back to her for a while. "You should know better than to try to beat me alone! I thought you were smart but I guess I gave you more credit than I should have. Maybe if you had listened to him, you wouldn't have to end like this."

I sensed something and immediately turned around and saw her slowly trying getting up. I shot her in the chest and she fell. Caroline lied there not moving for a while. She moaned in pain as she placed her hands over the wound. Blood was seeping through her fingers. I don't know how but she started to get up and walk towards me again and I saw that I hadn't shot her in any critical area, but blood was gushing out of the bullet wound like a waterfall. She was regaining her strength. She reached behind her and pulled out another gun.

Just before she could shoot me, I was saved.

Down the street comes my friend...Jeffrey. His car distracts her from me. She recognized his car and believed that he was there to help her. Boy was she stupid. When he reaches the area where we are, he hits her straight on and she goes FLYING over his car. Her other gun falls and I grab it. I put both guns on safety.

His car screeches as he put on the brakes while turning around the car to face the same direction he came from. There were tire marks on the street that showed his path.

I jumped in his truck, handed him the guns, and looked back though the back window to see that Caroline was now on the sidewalk. "Wait, Jeffrey. I'm not done with her."

He smiles, knowing what I'm talking about, and nods.

I get out of the truck and walk up to Caroline, empty handed. The color in her face was slowly disappearing. She gave me this look like her hopes were broken. She coughs up blood. "That's sad Caroline. You really believed that I would forget? You know I can't leave without my souvenir." I kneel down next to her. Her breathing is heavy, she just barely has a grasp on life and I can feel it. Her heart beat begins to increase the closer I get to her face. I put my right hand over her heart. "Your heart beat is music to my ears."

She spits blood in my face. "You can't win. Once she knows the truth, she will come after you and you will end before you can ever _touch_ Amanda _ever_ again."

I laughed as I wiped the blood off my face. "Caroline...Caroline. That is where you are wrong. _Very_ wrong! I will kill her before she can even touch_ me_. Don't worry, I'll make sure she dies an honorable death. And as for Amanda. She'll suffer the same fate that many have before her." I bend down to Caroline's face and kiss her on the lips. I feel the life slowly slipping away from her and entering my body. Her hands are on my chest trying to push me away, but she's too weak. I grab them and pin them to the ground. Her right hand was oddly dirty. I finally pull back. "Ah!" I take a moment to breathe. "Hatred really does make the kiss more passionate. I hope it's that way with Amanda." I double tap-slap her cheek. "See you on the other side Caroline." I get up and walk back towards Jeffrey's truck. I get in and motion for him to drive.

I knew I was safe… For now.


	6. Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

**Thursday, August 25****th**

After my brief pause to gather myself, I continued my speech. "To many, she was a best friend. To me, she was a sister. I'll never forget the friendship that we had. I love you Caroline, and I'm going to miss you immensely. I hope you can hear me because if you are, you're about to hear the song, finished."

I walked away from the podium in the front of the sanctuary to the piano that was next to it. I began to play a song I had written a long time ago. I had finally decided it was done and asked Leesa if I could play it at the service in Caroline's honor. I called it _It Will Get Easier_.

The song was a melody of multiple songs I had written on the piano. When put together, it sounded like the good times and bad times of life up until death when a person finds peace as they descend into Heaven. Caroline had heard the song before it was finished and told me that the song would bring joy and hope to those who have none. She's the one that titled it. I really hope she can hear it finished.

After I had finished, the whole sanctuary applauded, and I walked back to my seat that was in the second row behind Caroline's family who thanked me.

Caroline has been gone for three days now. I still can't grasp the idea of life without her, and neither can our friends. I sat next to them. Courtney Anderson, Charlotte Parker, Elaine Vernon, and Lindsey Truman. The group has a long line of history. First, it was Lindsey and me when we met in kindergarten. In fifth grade, I met Elaine. Then, in sixth grade, I met Caroline and Charlotte. Courtney and I met in seventh grade. There was a seventh in our group, but she left after eighth grade when her dad's job relocated her to Washington. Her name was Tyler Manson and I met her in seventh grade. She was gonna be here, but she got sick the day of her flight.

But let me make one thing clear, first. Our friend group isn't just consisted of us seven, now five. We have more friends, we five are just closer and hang out with each other more often than our other friends.

The memorial service went on.

All of Caroline's family was there and most of our grade had showed up. I knew all of Caroline's family and it was hard for me to see them like this because they were basically my family…

Her mom asked me if I wanted to go to the burying of her casket the day before, but I couldn't do it, and neither could the other girls.

When the service finally ended, everyone went to this room next to the sanctuary where the reception was being held.

After we each had gotten a drink, the girls and I found a small table so we could talk to each other privately.

At first, none of us talked, but of course, Courtney was the first one to say something. "This is weird. I feel like I'm in an episode of _Pretty Little Liars_." Of course she brings _that_ up.

All the girls, none making eye contact, nodded their heads in agreement, except for me. They all thought it was a mugging, I knew it was straight murder.

"We're like _Pretty Little Liars_ without the _A_," Lindsey added.

Y'all don't know it, but we do have an _A_...Alexander.

Elaine changed the subject to a friendlier topic about all the fun memories we had with Caroline. We had to keep ourselves from laughing the whole time, people might see it as being disrespectful. But we knew Caroline, and she'd want us to be happy and laughing, even at her own funeral.

Multiple times during our conversations, some random person would come up to me and compliment me on my piano playing and say that the song was beautiful. I'd thank them, hoping that was the end of the conversation, until they'd ask me all these questions about it which I kindly answered.

"Remember when we'd have those sleepovers at Caroline's house every Friday night?" Charlotte pointed out.

Lindsey started to laugh. "And then we'd prank call each other's crushes and pretend to be some girl in our grade other than us?"

We all started to laugh, and it was nonstop.

Finally I pointed out the worst part about this memory. "We haven't done that since eighth grade."

All the girls slowly stopped laughing.

"Maybe we should start it up again! In Caroline's memory," Elaine proposed.

Everyone smiled the happiest smile we've had in days.

"Definitely!" Courtney agreed.

"Then it's official! For now on every Friday, we will have a sleepover."

"And we can have it at my house!" I added.

Everyone cheered and we clanked our cups and took a sip, but mine was empty. Isn't it bad luck to cheer with an empty cup? Well, life can't get any worse than it is right now.

I stood up. "I'm gonna go get more punch." I walked away from the table to the other side of the room. I just barely made it to the punch bowl in one piece with all the people stopping me to praise my song. When I brought up my hand to fill my cup, my cup was GONE! I looked for another cup on the refreshment table but they were all gone.

"Here, you can have my cup. I haven't used it yet." A hand stuck out a cup that looked completely unused.

"Oh, no. That's…" I looked up to see Jeffrey smiling at me. "Jeffrey!" I jumped up and hugged him.

He put me down. "Good job up there."

I smiled. "Thanks."

How could I be so happy right now? I looked at my friends at the table. They were laughing. It was hard to believe that we were at our best friend's funeral.

His smile slowly went away. "Alexander is concerned."

Oh, I feared this. "Well, he shouldn't be. I'm fine."

"No one is fine after their best friend just died. And that is why he wants to be the good boyfriend that is there for you but you keep ignoring him." He sighed. "What reason do you have for this?"

"My best friend _just _died. That's my reason. I need time to process and cope. It's only been three days, but it's been the hardest three days of my entire life."

He looked at the table where my friends sat. They were still laughing. I knew that he was thinking about how hypocritical I was being. "Well you should tell him this yourself. He'll understand that you need space." He looked at his phone, then behind him and then back at me. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later. See how you're doing." He hugs me then walks away.

I'm about to fill my cup when I hear his voice again in my head. "What reason do you have for this?"

A good reason. He killed my best friend.

**Wednesday, September 21****st**

Three weeks since her death. It's been hard on us. Her case was "solved" as a mugging, but with no one convicted, since they didn't find the murder weapon and there were no witnesses. When they checked her phone records, they didn't find anything unusual. Not even that text from Alexander that I read.

Though the signs have pointed to Alexander, I can't just assume anything. He is my boyfriend. What reason does he have for killing my best friend? What reason does Caroline have for trying to kill Alexander? She's the one that pushed me to date him. So for now, my assumption is only a theory.

Since Caroline's death, the girls and I have been treated with extra care. Once a week after school, we have to go to a grief counselor, separately. I go on Wednesdays.

I was going to quit taking piano, but my grief counselor said it would be a good way to express my feelings and all this other stuff. So I still have piano every Tuesday after football practice.

Each of us asked our school counselors if we could be in the same lunch because we "didn't want to feel alone" and that wasn't a lie. Our best friend died, we need each other.

I walked into my second period Algebra II class. I was the only girl sophomore in there, but thankfully, some of Alexander's friends and junior girls that I knew were in the class too.

I sat in the back next to Luke, one of the sweetest guys I have ever met, other than Alexander. Like many of Alexander's friends, he has been gentle and kind to me after Caroline's death. Actually, to tell you the truth, a lot of people have been. A lot of unexpected people. But I wish people didn't. People treating me like a priceless China doll just reminds me more of her death.

The announcements came on a few seconds after the second bell. It was the voice of the student council president, Bill Armstrong.

"_Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance._"

We all stood and put our right hand over our heart, but no one actually said the words. Then we put our hand out for the Texas Pledge. Again, no one spoke. I don't know why no one ever says any of the pledges. It's like an unspoken rule. Haha..._unspoken _rule. I punned.

After we finished, everyone sat for the moment of silence. A minute later, his voice came back on. He talked about clubs and sports events and other stuff that I didn't care about.

_And don't forget, one week from this Saturday is the Homecoming dance! Guys, don't forget to buy your tickets. They'll be sold in the cafeteria during lunch everyday until the dance. And you can also buy them at the dance. Have a great day, HP. Go Scots!_

The announcements ended. My teacher, Mr. Hill, pulled up the key to the homework and put it on the board. We all started checking our homework in silence.

"Hey," Luke whispered to me as he poked my arm with his red pen. I looked at him with joking annoyance. "Has Alexander asked you yet?"

I answered, with disappointment, "No." Lately Alexander has been acting...distant.

"Well, hopefully he will soon."

I went back to checking my homework, then I realized something. "You're his friend. Do you know what he's doing or when?"

"He's not telling anyone! He wants you to be surprised."

Alexander is just full of surprises, ain't he?

"How was your week since I last saw you?" My grief counselor, Dr. Pierce, asked. She had her pen ready to start writing whatever came out of my mouth.

I knew I had to be careful of what I said and how I said it. Yes, she's not allowed to tell anyone what I say, but if I say something that might give her the impression that I'm in danger by someone or myself, she can tell the police or my family. "The same. People treating me as if I'm fragile. Nothing has really changed." I wish I could tell her.

"What about Alexander? How's he treating you?"

I sighed. My body sunk into the tan couch that was so tall, my feet hung an inch or two off the ground. I looked out the window covered wall on my left. I had a perfect view of downtown Dallas from a distance. "I don't know. He's been supportive, but he's just been acting really weird lately."

She looked at me with a thousand questions. "Why do you think he's been acting like this?"

The first thing that popped into my head was my theory. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea."

**Friday, September 23****rd**

It's been two days since my therapy session. Alexander has continued to act distant.

I walked towards the cafeteria so I could get to the gym early for the pep rally. Since I'm a trainer, I have the advantage of sitting with all the football players on the floor (in chairs, of course). Any high school girls dream; be surrounded by a team of hot football players!

I walk into the small gym behind the main gym, which is where the pep rally is held. All the football players wait here, even us trainers. I go find Griffin, Freddy, Drew, and Anne.

"Hey guys," I said with my "upbeat enthusiasm".

They all greeted me with our usual "upbeat enthusiasm".

I looked around for Alexander while the other trainers talked about how the freshman trainers were being freshman. Annoying. I broke away from the circle and went to find Jeffrey.

"Hey Jeffrey," I called out as I walked up to him. He was talking to Luke and some other guys. He turned around and suddenly became nervous."Where's Alexander?"

He started to mumble and was tense.

"Amanda?"

I turn around to see Alexander in the usual jeans and boots that the football players usually wear, but he had a red long sleeved button down shirt and a white cowboy hat was a cowboy, but more like and Italian cowboy (haha). "Alexander? What are you wearing?" I giggled to myself.

He laughed at my confused look. "It's for the Scotsmen skit today. I'm in it."

I laughed, thinking he was joking, but the look on his face told me that he wasn't joking. "What is the skit?"

"_That_ I can't tell you." The band started to play. It was the signal that the pep rally was about to begin and we were to run in. He hugged me and kissed my forehead. "I'll walk you to your next class after the pep rally, okay?"

I nodded my head. He walked away, I walked back to the other trainers.

The football players started running in and we followed, but we walked.

The other trainers and I sat in the second to last row in the back. Alexander was two rows ahead of me. The pep rally did its usual routine. When they announced players of the week for each position, Odys won for his position. When it came to manager/trainer, it was one of the manager's turns to win it this week. Alexander sadly did not win.

As it was almost time for the Scotsmen skit, Alexander disappeared.

The lights went off. Music starts playing. I recognize it as the music of "As She's Walking Away"by the Zac Brown Band.

I turn to Anne and say, "Aw! I love this song!"

"Me too!" she responds.

We start doing a little tapping and movement to the beat. The singing part was about to start. When the first word was spoken, five spotlights turned on, shinning down on five stools. On the middle stool was Alexander singing as the main singer and the four Scotsmen around him were harmonizing.

"_We never spoke a word but every thought she had I heard from across the room."_

I covered my mouth in shock. I had never heard him sing before, and he sounded amazing!

"_We were standing face to face, I couldn't find the words to say give me one more wrap."_

Wrap? What?

"_I don't even know her name. I guess foolish pride's to blame."_

Oh my god.

"_Now I'm fall'n in love as she's taping my leg."_

WHAT?!

Laughter fills the crowd and the whole football team turns to me. I'm in complete shock staring at Alexander who winks at me. My cheeks get hot. I can feel the blood draining from my face.

"_And my heart won't tell my mind to tell my mouth what it should say. May have lost this game, live to fight another day. Now I'm fall'n in love as she's taping my leg."_

The part where there's no lyrics is playing. All the Scotsmen except Alexander started dancing with each other. The whole gym filled with laughter.

I guess they skipped the middle of the song because they went to the two verses that are right before the ending chorus. The Scotsmen stopped dancing.

"_You might fall down on your face. Flip the coin and have some faith."_

Alexander started making his way over to me, slowly.

"_I'll be fall'n in love as she's taping my leg. When your heart won't tell your mind to tell your mouth what it should say. May have lost this game live to fight another day. I'll be fall'n...fall'n...fall'n in love…as she's taping my leg."_

He reached me as he sang the last note. The music ended.

There was a roar of applause in the gym. The whole Junior boy section stood up. I couldn't believe it. This is why he's been acting weird.

Alexander put his hand out and stood me up. "Amanda Hicks, will you go to Homecoming with me?"

I look to my right into the area where the parents sit and see my mom with a surprised look on her face. I look to my left where the Freshman boys sit. Chris has the worst look on his face**.**

"Now hold on!" Everyone looks at Pete, my brother's best friend. He was a jokester, so he was definitely going to make a joke out of this. "Alexander has got to get Odys's OK on this before he can ask for his little sister's hand at Homecoming." The gym is filled with laughter. Pete turns to Odys. "Odys, what is your verdict?"

I look at Odys. He has a sour look on his face, his arms crossed. I'm not taking any of this seriously.

One of Odys's arms comes out from being crossed. He holds his fist out and puts his thumb out so that it is sideways. His thumb goes up. It was a Chuck Norris reference. Bleh!

Everyone in the gym starts clapping. The attention is then turned back to me.

I look at Alexander. "Yes!"

His smile goes from ear to ear. He picks me up and swings me around.

**Saturday, October 1****st**

I walk out of my room and go to the top of the stairs. At the bottom is Alexander in his black suit with a vermillion tie on that matched my vermillion dress. My dress was strapless with vermillion fabric under a vermillion flowery lace fabric. A darker shaded ribbon tied around my waist. My hair was down in waves.

My parents walk into the front entry, Mom holding her camera.

I slowly walked down the staircase, trying not to trip even though my heals were only an inch high.

"Wow Amanda," Alexander sighed. I couldn't help smiling at his amazement. As I got closer to him, he put his hand out for me to grab, which I did. "You look beautiful."

"Okay, y'all get together," my mom motioned for us to get ready for a picture.

We got together and took pictures. More than we should have. I thought it would never end.

"Okay, Mom, I think we're good," I laughed.

She put her camera down and hugged me. "Have fun tonight."

"I will." We let go and I hugged my dad and let go.

He looked at Alexander and I. "Be home at two, okay?"

I nodded and so did Alexander. "Yes sir," Alexander shook my dad's hand.

We walked out of the house to the limo which was filled with Alexander's friends. Elaine was in it too as Jeffrey's date (just friends). First, we went to the restaurant and ate, then we headed to the dance which was held in the school's gym that was behind the main gym. We walked into the main gym and put our shoes in a paper sack marked with our names and gave it to the parent chaperones.

Alexander and I walked into the small gym. It was packed with people from every grade. Our group headed to the middle of the crowd and started to dance.

The DJ played songs that were popular at the moment and old songs that were good dance songs. Alexander and I danced together the whole time.

At one point, my friends' homecoming group found us and started dancing with my group.

Then I had to pee. I pulled Alexander closer to me so he could hear me. "Alexander, I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"You want me to go with you?"

I shook my head, kissed him on the cheek and walked through the crowd which had grown since we got to the dance.I reached the bathroom only to see a line going out the door. "Screw this." I decided to go find a different bathroom somewhere else in the school. I walked though the cafeteria to get to the part of the school where the art classrooms were. That is where the best bathroom is.

I go in and go to the bathroom (you don't need details). Before leaving the bathroom, I wash my hands.

Lights go off.

"Hello? Is someone in here? If there is, can you please turn the lights back on? This isn't funny." I look around and try to get my eyes adjusted, but it's too dark. The only thing I see are two red eyes in the mirror looking at me from five feet away. I began to panic. I quickly turn around to see that there really are two red eyes looking at me. "Who's there?" No answer. "Who's there?!"

"Don't you know you should never say, 'Who's there?' It's a death wish." (What is this? _Scream_?) The eyes are suddenly inches away from me and I'm pushed onto the sink, my head smashing against the mirror. Glass falls to the floor and into the sink. The voice sounds like a demon whisper. "Amanda." The thing starts to kiss my neck. "Do I have plans for you." I push the thing away and I hear them fall to the ground. I try to run for where I think the door is, but the thing grabs my neck and pins me against the wall. "Don't even bother," it whispers in my ear. The thing pulls me towards it then smashes me against the wall so I hit my head even harder than before. This causes me to be disoriented. They drop me to the ground. I'm going in and out of it. From what I can tell, it bends down to my level. "It's my turn now," the voice's breath is going into my mouth it's so close. Its hand grabs my face, the grip almost breaking my jaw.

Suddenly, the hand and eyes are gone and I recognize the sound of another mirror getting smashed in the dark which tells me that someone has attacked my attacker.

The blackouts come increasingly. From what I get, I hear another voice, but I can't recognize it because my disoriented brain can't process it.

"She's not yours for the taking," the second voice says. It sounds familiar but I'm so disoriented that my brain can't put a face to the voice. I start hearing a struggle or a fight of some sort.

I blackout completely.

When I wake, I'm staring up at the ceiling. The lights are back on.

"Amanda, are you okay?" a voice asks me.

My vision is blurry, but I think it's Alexander. "Yeah, I'm fine." I slowly try to sit up, but I have to get back down because my head is spinning.

"Take it easy, Amanda. Jeffrey is getting a teacher. I think you might have a concussion so you're going to have to go to the hospital."

I nodded. The back of my head hurt, so I put my hand back there only to feel it covered in liquid. When I looked at my hand, it was covered in blood."Alexander, I'm bleeding!" Streams of blood start coming onto Alexander's face from his hair and starts dripping around me. "Alexander, you're bleeding too! Why?"

He put his hand on the back of his head and saw that I was right. "When I came in here, after I had turned on the lights, the person who attacked you pushed me as they were running out of the bathroom and I hit the mirror."

I look around to see only two mirrors smashed. If Alexander had come in after the fight, there would've been three mirrors smashed, and he would've seen two people. He lied, which means only one thing… Alexander was my attacker.

At the hospital, they picked small shards of glass out of my hair and head. I ended up getting eleven stitches, not all of them on my head. Alexander got four. I had a mild concussion, which is amazing for how much I was smashed into the wall. Alexander didn't.

I left the hospital with my parents.

**Monday, October 3****rd**

Today I had to wear my hair up to cover the stitches on the back of my head. After I dropped off Chris and parked my car, I went to look for Alexander in the cafeteria. He was sitting with a group of his friends. I could see the stitches on the back of his head.

I had gotten to school late so the first bell was about to ring. I had to make this quick.

I walk up to Alexander. Right now, I'm not much to be a loud talker, so I softly say, "Hey, Alexander?" I tap him on the shoulder with gentleness.

He turns around and his eyes light up. He doesn't hug me because he's afraid he'll hurt me. I have bruises and cuts everywhere. "Amanda, how are you feeling?" he asks me with a sweet voice. He knows how fragile I am right now.

"Okay." The first bell rings. "Will you walk me to class?"

"Sure."

We walk out of the cafeteria together in silence.

"Alexander, how did you know where I was?"

He was quiet for a second as we passed the bathroom where I was attacked. There was yellow tape all over the door. The school and the police are trying to find out who my attacker was. "Well, you were gone for quite a while, and that got me worried, so I went to go look for you to make sure you were okay. When I saw you weren't in that long line, I went to other bathrooms to find you, which I did."

"And the attacker fled when you came in? You didn't fight him or see who he was?"

He shook his head. We started to walk up the stairs and head for the science area of the school. "Like I said, he ran out and pushed me against the mirror before I could get a good look at his face."

I started to remember something that would make his story even more untrue. "The lights, did you turn them on before or after you were pushed into the mirror?"

"I was pushed into the mirror after I had turn them on."

I for sure know that there was a fight between two people, with the lights off. Someone, and that someone being Alexander, was "pushed" into the mirror _before _the lights were turned on. If Alexander's story was true, then he would've seen _two _people flee the scene because there was definitely a fight between two people.

It just doesn't add up.

**Friday, October 28****th**

I have barely talked to Alexander. I told him I needed time to recover before I could hang with anyone outside of school again, so I haven't really spent any time with him over the past couple of weeks. I was still touchy about being attacked and the fact that my attacker might be Alexander. I was thinking about telling the police, but I won't and don't plan to anytime soon. I want to talk to Alexander first.

I walked into the cafeteria with Charlotte talking about how I was almost fully recovered and could probably start hanging out again with them (meaning my friends) again. That meant we could have our usual Friday sleepovers after the football games again. Tonight was our first one since my attack.

I love my school cafeteria. The area where we get food makes me feel like I'm at a mall food court. Our school serves the best food a school cafeteria could serve (no sarcasm). I really wish they would paint it a more fun color, it's plain white, but of course, my school is lazy.

"Remember when you had that Halloween sleepover at your house in eighth grade?" she asked. I smiled, knowing where this was going. "I think we should have another! And watch _Goosebumps_!"

I laughed. Charlotte and her _Goosebumps_. "Okay. Sure! But Halloween is on a Monday this year."

"Didn't you hear? All the other schools get a day off after Halloween, so we do too!"

I high-five Charlotte as we reached the table. When I looked behind me to see how long the lines were, I saw that they were too long.

"What are y'all talking about?" Elaine asked as she put her Chemistry textbook on the round table along with a thick, blue binder.

Courtney and Lindsey were already sitting at the table. Courtney with her caesar salad and Lindsey with her croissant turkey and cheese sandwich.

"Charlotte was thinking that we should have another Halloween sleepover at my house, like we did in middle school."

Lindsey put down her sandwich and started to giggle, "But Halloween is on a Monday."

"The day after we don't have school," Charlotte informed with annoyance in her voice. I could tell she's had to tell people this multiple times.

"Then it's settled! Sleepover at Amanda's next Friday!"

"Hey, can I sit with you guys?"

We all look at Havoca the Bitch. She's this girl that was new last year and she's caused problems for _so _many friend groups that no one will hang out with her anymore. Now she's come to prey on our friend group.

We look at each other then say in unison, "No!"

She walks away, angry, as if we foiled her plan to try and destroy our group. As she's walking away, she turns her head and gives me a strange look. Like I should rue this moment.

Everyone cheered and laughed but it suddenly stopped. I saw that all the girls were staring at something behind me. I turned around and it was Alexander. The girls knew that Alexander and I have been a little rough since Homecoming. "Can we talk?" Even though I was looking up at him, he wouldn't look at me. He looked ashamed. Oh no, is he going to break-up with me? I still can't tell if that's what I want or not. Maybe this should be the moment I talk to him about me being attacked. About Caroline's death.

I followed him out of the cafeteria towards the glass hallway that connected the gym area to the science area.

We haven't had a real conversation since that Monday after Homecoming. We'd have small talk. Or when it came to technology, he wouldn't call me, but he'd text me and this is how it would usually go.

**"Hey."**-Alexander

**"Hi."**-Me

**"What's up?"**-Alexander

**"Nothing. You?"**-Me

**"Nothing."**-Alexander

**"That's cool."**-Me

**"Yeah."**-Alexander

There you go. That's all we'd say. We wouldn't say good-bye or anything. Just end it there. What am I supposed to say? "Hey! I think you killed my best friend." Or, "By the way, I know you attacked me at Homecoming! Bye!" No! It's hard dating someone when you can't even have a conversation with them without wanting to accuse them of killing your best friend or attacking you.

But what's weird is that I don't really want to end it, either. I like him too much. There's just something about him that has stopped me from doing it. Maybe it's the fact that we haven't really been able to talk about it yet.

We turned into the glass hallway. Alexander leaned against the mosaic window. I leaned against the wall across from him.

"What's going on, Amanda?" He looked at me with eyes of urning.

I looked away. I couldn't bare it. "Nothing. It's just…"

"Don't say Caroline's death!" I looked up at him. "And don't say Homecoming." He was looking away but I could still see the anger in his eyes. "You keep making this about Caroline's death, or about you being attacked, but it's not about those things anymore, is it? Something else is bothering you." He looked back up at me, searching my face for an answer. I still didn't look at him, but somehow my face gave away the truth. "It's me, isn't it? I'm the…"

"Have I ever told you what I'm scared of the most? The most horrific and terrifying experience of my life." I looked up at him with anger. He shook his head with care. "There's a reason I've never told you before...because just talking about puts me into a complete panic.

I still dream of this almost every night, sometimes unaware that I did, until I wake up, sweating, and realize that it's because of this repeating dream, it has to be." I laughed a pity laugh. "Sometimes I believe it was all just a dream.

When I was six, my parents took Odys and I on a vacation to Hawaii. I remember looking out the window of the airplane and seeing those giant, twenty foot waves. I loved the way they curled and crashed down on the water. They just fascinated me, especially when I saw people riding them.

One day, my brother and I persuaded our mom to let us rent boogie boards so we could ride the waves. She only let us ride the little ones close to shore. But I began to drift and didn't notice it because I was having so much fun. I didn't notice the waves were getting bigger and bigger."

I paused and closed my eyes. I saw the image of what I was about to describe in my head. I opened them and looked at the garden that was outside behind Alexander. My heart was racing. My throat clogged up just like it did that day. I was trying to hold back the tears.

"Next thing I know, I hear people shouting at me to get to shore, but it was too late. I look behind me to see a wave that was ten times my height. I tried to swim away, but my stupid boogie board was holding me back. I looked back one more time and saw it begin to come down on me. At that moment, as the wave began to curl, everything slowed down. I screamed for help, but there was nothing anyone could do. Before I knew it, the wave was crashing down on me. It felt as if someone had thrown a giant boulder on me. The salt water burned my eyes. I would see flashes of my surroundings. The waves continued to thrash me around. At one point, I believed my boogie board was making the whole experience worse, so I used all of my strength to unstrap it from my ankle. It made no difference…

Have you ever been in that kind of situation? It's terrifying. You can't think, or breathe. You don't know which way is up and which way is down. Everything you know is gone.

I slowly began to pass out from lose of air. But then a hand reached out for me and grabbed me. I was pulled out of the water and onto a surf board by some local, and by the time he had pulled me out, I was already unconscious and slowly losing my grasp on life.

I think I was dead for a bit because when all I saw was black, an angel appeared before me. It kept repeating, 'Live and don't let your soul be taken,' until I finally was revived." Alexander's facial expression changed. As if he knew what the angel was talking about.

I took a deep breath. I was able to face my fear.

"It was a good thing that it was our last full day in Hawaii because after that day, I never went to the beach again. I refuse to touch any large bodies of water, especially ones that has waves. There is nothing in this world that was scarier to me then what happened to me on that day." I look up at Alexander and see he has no emotion. "But now, everything has changed. I have found something I'm just as scared of..." He looked confused but I think he sort of realized what I was about to say. "You."

For a second he was genuinely surprised, but then he became angry. "Me!"

"Yes you!" Oh no! It was coming out! "_You_ killed Caroline, _you_ attacked me in the bathroom!"

He ran up to me, pinned me against the wall, and covered my mouth with his hand. "_I_ didn't kill her," his teeth were clenched. "And _I_ didn't attack you."

I pushed his hand off my mouth. "You were the last one to speak to her before she was found! I saw it on her phone!"

"Why would I kill Caroline?!"

Oh no, here it comes again. "Because she was trying to kill you!"

He backed away in shock. It looked as if he was fighting with himself over something.

"So it's true?" He shook his head. I walked towards him. "Alexander, please, just tell me the truth! If you just tell me the truth, I'll believe you."

"I can't tell you anything. Not yet." He started to walk away, but I stopped him.

"Why not?"

"Because it's not your time to know." My time to know what? "Just trust me, please?" He walked away but stopped and turned around. "Amanda. Caroline's death, you being attacked, they were only the beginning. Prepare yourself for the hell that's about to break loose."

He walks away and I just stare at him. His head goes down and looks at something. He suddenly stops, looks up, then turns around. "Happy five month anniversary."

"So, Amanda! Are y'all still dating?" Elaine asked.

I was staring at the palms of my hands. "Yeah, we are." I wish I could tell them what I know. The truth. At least I think it's the truth. Alexander has got me questioning what I believe to be the truth.

Charlotte started to freak out. "Guys! There's something outside on the balcony!"

We all look towards the window-doors that led to the balcony. Suddenly something moved and I saw an arm. All the girls screamed, even me.

"Amanda, go outside and see who it is!" Lindsey screamed from the bathroom. She must've ran in there. Silly Lindsey. I turned around to see her peeking around the door frame.

"Why me?!"

"Because it's your house!" she answered.

I walked towards the door and under my breath I insulted her. "Baby." I got closer towards the door. "Who's out there?" Suddenly, a face appeared! I jumped back. The person quickly opened the door and pulled me outside. "AH! LET GO OF ME!" I tried to fight the person, but they wouldn't let go. All the girls started screaming.

"Amanda! Amanda! It's me!"

I stopped and looked at the figure. The moonlight cast shadows on his face. "Alexander? What are you doing here?"

Before he answered, I looked inside and gave the girls a signal that told them I was okay.

He looked around as if someone was watching us. He looked concerned. "Something bad is about to happen. Not now, but soon."

I became extremely confused. "Alexander, you're scaring me! What's going on?"

"Like I told you earlier, Caroline and you being attacked was just the beginning. Something else is about to happen in order to cover up the truth once more."

I yanked my hands out of his grip because it became tighter and tighter the more he talked. I ran my hands through my hair and over my face. "Alexander, what are you saying?"

"Someone else is gonna die. Just like Caroline. The death of Caroline was a cover-up."

My whole body froze. A cover-up for what? Why is he telling me this?

I scoffed at him. "And why does the next person have to die? Actually, the real question is why is there even a next person?"

"Amanda, I promise you that you will soon know everything, but for now, you can't know anything...for your own safety."

I shook my head. "Alexander, I have to go. I'm with my friends." I turned around and began to reach for the door handle with my right hand, but he grabbed my left wrist and stopped me.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

My arm shook. I looked down to see his arm trembling. Maybe with anger? His face showed me that he was hurt by me. I believed him that someone was gonna die, but I didn't understand why he was telling me, or how he knew. If he knows about the upcoming murder, does that mean he knew about Caroline's before it happened? And if so, why didn't he try to stop it? The only way he could know is if he's involved. The only reason he wouldn't try to stop them is if he wanted it to happen. "Like I said, I have to go." I broke free of his grasp and walked back inside.

"Who was it?" Courtney asked when she popped up from behind the bed.

I laughed as if everything was okay, which it wasn't. "It was only Alexander."

All the girls awed in harmony.

"What did he say?" Elaine chimed.

I winked at them. "It's a secret."

Another secret.

**Monday, October 31****st**

"**Amanda. Don't pick me up for school today. I'm not going to school. Thanks,**" Chris texted me.

I still take Chris to school everyday. In the beginning of the year, I'd ask him about how school was going. Now, it's complete silence between us...except for that one time.

It was a couple of weeks after Caroline died.

"Chris? You haven't talked to anyone about what happened when you came over, right?"

He was silent at first. His breathing started to become faster. Then it started to slow down. "I haven't talked to anyone about it because we haven't even talked about it."

I sighed. "Chris…"

He quickly turned to me. We were waiting at a red light. I tried to only glance at him as I also tried to watch the light. "Amanda, you almost have sex with me, and then you act like nothing happened."

"Well, Caroline died two days later so…"

He flinched when I said her name. I felt like I was talking to Alexander. "Caroline out of the way, Alexander out of the way, what is going on between us?"

"Nothing!" I snapped at him. I quickly calmed down. "Nothing Chris. I like Alexander. I could never like you like that again. I don't know why I did what I did that day, it just happened. I was in the moment. So were you. Hate makes people passionate."

He flinched at those words. "But I don't hate you Amanda. I want you. You're all I ever think about. I love you."

I shook my head. The light was still red. Just turn green already! "Don't say that!" I sighed. "Don't say that ever again. It was a mistake. You don't actually like me. You just like me because you don't have me, and you need to come to terms with the fact that we will never be together again. That I will never have feelings for you again."

Under his breath it sounded like he mumbled, "We'll see about that."

I opened the door and all the girls came in.

I examined each of them. None of them were wearing a costume, but all of them had a bag and a sleeping bag. "So I'm guessing we're not going trick-or-treating," I pointed out jokingly.

They all laughed. No one in high school goes trick-or-treating. They mostly party, or do what we're doing.

After they stopped, we walked up to my room.

"Okay, so what do y'all want to do instead?" I sat on my bed.

Charlotte looked at each of us as if we were stupid. "What we always do! Eat candy and watch _Goosebumps_!"

Courtney pushed Charlotte on the bed. "Stupid! We don't have candy!"

"Wait! Yes we do! My mom put me in charge of handing out candy this year, but of course, I'm not gonna do it. So we can just eat all of it to make it look like we had passed it out."

"Genius Amanda! Absolutely genius!" Lindsey exclaimed.

I walked downstairs and then into the kitchen. The mini TV on the counter was on. I walked into the pantry and looked for the candy.

"_Breaking news! Amber alert has been sent out! A girl by the name of Nancy Nathanson has gone missing! She has not been seen since late yesterday morning when she was walking to her mom's car from church. She was last seen wearing a pink flower dress._"

I backed out of the pantry and started to watch the news broadcast with wide eyes. A yearbook picture, most likely from this year, of Nancy appeared.

So this is why I didn't take Chris to school this morning!

"Amanda!"

All of the girls came running into the kitchen.

"Amanda, why are there news vans outside your house?" Charlotte asked.

I looked at them blankly and then turned to the small kitchen TV and pointed. They all turned their heads and started to watch. Their eyes were as wide as mine.

It just said all this information about her and who to contact if anyone sees her.

Is this what Alexander was talking about? But I don't understand what Nancy has to do with any of this, whatever _this_ is. Did she try to kill Alexander too and had the same fate as Caroline?

"I think we should go over there!" Lindsey proposed.

We all looked at her, then each other, and then ran for the front door. We raced through my giant driveway/front yard to the front gate. We went to the gate off to the side that was for people. I typed in the code. We walked through and made our way to the Nathanson's were there was a big crowd.

There were camera crews, photographers, news reporters, and just random people crowded in front of the Nathanson's house.

We pushed our way through the crowd, trying to see what was going on. When we finally reached the front, we saw there was nothing going on. It was just a bunch of reporters trying to get inside. Police were lined in front of the steps blocking the crowd from getting in.

"Sorry, ma'am. No one is allowed in," the officer informed me.

"We're friends of the son, Chris Nathanson," I responded. Someone pushed me and I looked back to see Lindsey. With her thumb she pointed behind her, motioning me that it was the people behind her. I looked back at the police officer because he had said something to me but I quickly looked back behind me.

Was that Alexander I just saw?

"No one can get in, sir!" Some photographer was trying to push his way through the officer next to ours.

Charlotte pushed me to the side and spoke to our officer, "But she's his girlfriend!"

The officer gave me this look as if he was saying, "Really?"

I shrugged. "Ex-girlfriend."

He still wouldn't let us in so I decided to try Plan B. Ask Chris.

**"Hey. I'm outside your house with Courtney, Charlotte, Elaine, and Lindsey. We heard what happened and ran right over. You okay?"**

His front door was glass so I could see a crowd of officers inside. Suddenly the officers made a path for someone. Chris came popping though and opened the front door. Everyone outside went wild and started screaming questions at Chris.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF THE WHEREABOUTS OF NANCY?"

"IS IT TRUE THAT IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE'S GONE IF YOU HADN'T LET HER WALK ALONE?"

Ooh, harsh.

He walked up to the officer that was blocking us as he ignored all the questions. He tapped on his shoulder. "Hey, they're with me."

The officer let way for the girls and I to walk through. I looked back to make sure that they were all coming. In that short period of time, I saw Alexander with this look on his face as if he was about to kill someone. When I looked back, he was gone.

Chris led us inside. The place looked bigger than the last time I had saw it. The ceiling was amazing. It was painted silver with gold stars of different sizes and some were shooting stars.

He took us to the TV room. There was a long, black couch that sat six people. It had silver sequined pillows. There were two Laz-Z-Boy chairs that matched the couch.

I sat at the end of the couch closest to the chairs. The girls sat on the couch with me and Chris sat in a chair.

"Chris, what happened?" I asked as I curled up on the couch. Let me tell you, it was _really_ comfortable.

He leaned back in the chair and placed his right hand on his forehead. "It is all my fault. I told her to go ahead and walk to the car without me so I could go talk to Warren. She didn't want to but I insisted. When I get to the car, my mom asked me where Nancy was. We repeatedly called her phone, but it always went straight to voicemail. Later that day at about seven, we got a call from her phone. It was her saying that they had taken her. Then a disguised voice told us to not bother looking for her. It was then that the police started to pay attention, but we had to wait twenty-four hours before we could take any action."

We all stared at him in silence. It _was_ his fault, and I think that everyone was thinking the same thing. But what are we supposed to say in response?

I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I looked and saw in the opening Mrs. Nathanson walking with the police. "Chris, I think it's time for them to go," she said, trying to sound as nice as possible while she also sounded worried.

We all got up and walked past her, but I stopped. "I'm so sorry Mrs. Nathanson. I'll be praying for y'all."

She smiled and hugged me. "Thank you sweet Amanda."

I walked to the front door with Chris walking next to me. I walked outside towards the the sea of madness.

"Hey Amanda?" Chris called out. I had reached the bottom of the gray stone steps when I stopped and turned around. "Thanks."

I smiled and walked into the madness. For that brief moment, our past was gone. We were just two people, two friends.

"Amanda, someone's at the door again!" Courtney screamed all the way from the kitchen.

"I wanna do it this time!" Charlotte volunteered.

Lindsey, Elaine, and I looked at each other and then at Charlotte. We nodded. She jumped up and ran out of my room. We were silent. I reached in the popcorn bowl and got the last handful of popcorn. Good thing Courtney was getting more.

All of a sudden, we heard screaming followed by more screaming. Then the sound of a giant door slamming followed by a burst of laughter. Courtney and Charlotte came running upstairs and into my room laughing nonstop. Courtney was holding a bag of newly popped popcorn.

"We scared the living _hell_ out of those kids!" Charlotte screamed.

They sat down on their sleeping bags when they finally settled down. We had put them in a star where the corners touch each other. In the middle was a hole for us to put all the food. Courtney poured the popcorn into the bowl.

"How old were they?" Lindsey asked.

They burst out laughing again and Courtney screamed, "FIVE!"

"FIVE?! Y'all are so mean!" Elaine yelled at them.

They shook her off and finally stopped laughing. The room was silent. I don't know about the others, but I couldn't stop thinking about Nancy. By the look on their faces, I think they were.

"Did y'all see Alexander at the Nathanson's today?" I looked around and it seemed as if no one was paying attention. But then Elaine looked up at me and gave me this weird look.

"Wait! Did _you_ see him there?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah," I replied with not much enthusiasm.

She shook her head and then corrected me, "That's not possible. Him and Jeffrey went to some Halloween party."

All the girls oohed except for me. I knew that was a lie. I clearly saw Alexander there. But it also might have been true that he's at a party, getting drunk.

"Of course you'd know, Elaine. I bet he asked you to go!" Lindsey squealed.

So Elaine and Jeffrey have had a secret thing for each other ever since Homecoming, but neither of them will admit it.

"Yeah, he did, but I said no! I wanted to hang with y'all." She paused. "Amanda, did Alexander not tell you where he was going?"

I hugged my pillow and shook my head. "We don't talk very much lately. He's been having trouble...um, balancing sports and academics with personal life. I guess I must've just been imagining things since I miss him so much."

BULLSHIT!

**Wednesday, November 2****nd**

**"Hey Amanda. I'm getting a ride from one of the police officers. See you at school."**

So I guess I'm not taking him to school, again.

I pulled into my parking spot in the parking garage. When I got out of my car, I heard unusual noises. Ones you don't usually hear at a school. It sounded like Chris' house on Monday night.

It's been three days since Nancy's disappearance on Sunday. Yesterday, I was gonna ask Alexander about if he was there Monday night, but he was too sick to answer his phone. Probably had a hangover.

A huge crowd of cameras and news reporters crowded the outside of the student entrance that we call the arches. I approached slowly. I hoped none of them remembered me from Monday.

"HEY! There's that girl that went into the house!" some cameraman screamed out. I spoke too soon. They all began to crowd around me. I was being suffocated by cameras and flashing lights.

"Is it true you're dating Chris Nathanson?"

"What? No! Why would you say that?" Oh my GOD! They heard Charlotte tell that police officer I'm his girlfriend!

"Do you think it's his fault that his little sister is gone?"

"Uh…no comment." I pushed through the mob. They just kept throwing these stupid questions about me and Chris at me. Boy do I have a bone to pick with Charlotte. She's not very smart, ya know? I walked up the steps to the entrance, and there at the top was Alexander waiting for me.

"Hey Amanders!" He pulled me towards him and kissed me on the head.

The reporters started going crazy.

"Who are you?" a reporter asked him.

"I'm no one."

They kept trying to ask us questions, trying to figure out if he was my boyfriend, but he just put his arm around my shoulders and walked me in, and I was hoping they'd get the picture.

When we were finally free from the reporters, I shoved him away.

"Amanders? You haven't called me that since August! What is going on Alexander?"

He motioned me to be quiet and started to lead me into a secluded area. "Nothing's going on. Everything is fine."

"To hell it is! I saw you at the Nathanson's house on Monday! What were you doing there? I thought you were supposed to be at some Halloween party with Jeffrey? And by the way, thanks for telling me!"

"Sorry! I didn't think you would want to go and I was at the party. You must've been seeing things. Think about it. You were in a crowd that had hundreds of people in it, and you only see my face? What are the chances of that?"

I shook my head in anger, in _fury_! "When will the lying stop?" I turned around. "Please, just tell me what's going on."

His voice softened. "I can't. Not yet."

A tear ran down my cheek. "Then tell me something. Does Nancy's disappearance have anything to do with it?" I wish I knew what IT is…

I turned around and he was staring at the palms of his hands. He looked up at me with eyes of sorrow. "Yes."

"Then I'll just have to wait and see them find her body, too."

He looked me straight in the eye. His stare gave me goosebumps. "Amanda. You have no clue how much I hate lying to you."

I spoke with anger. "Then why don't you just tell me the truth?"

He started to walk away. "Because you're not ready to know."

**Friday, November 4****th**

GOD! I HATE THIS! I feel like I'm in some bad _Twilight _movie. I'm the girl with the mysterious boyfriend that has a secret identity. But at least her boyfriend told her the truth.

What if Alexander _is_ a vampire? No. That's not possible… Right? Wait! That would make sense! Caroline is a vampire slayer (LIKE BUFFY! I love that show!), and she was trying to kill Alexander because he's a vampire and she was afraid that he was gonna hurt me. Okay, mystery solved!

It's now been five days since Nancy's disappearance.

The worst part about this is that I know she's dead...somewhere.

"Guys, has there been any update on Nancy disappearing?" Lindsey asked.

"Nope, nothing at all. No one saw anything suspicious happen. No one even saw her walking to her mom's car except for Chris," Elaine informed us.

I push the key in the ignition and drove out of the parking garage.

"Hey, who wants a smoothie?" I yelled, trying to change the conversation.

They all screamed, "ME!"

"So Olivia said, 'You only bought that dress because I did,' and I said, 'Yeah right! I was there the day it went on the rack!' So then…"

My mom ran in and interrupted Charlotte. "Girls! Come quick! They found Nancy!"

Oh God, they found her body! Am I gonna be able to watch this?

We all followed my mom to the TV room and watched the news broadcast.

"_Breaking news! Nancy Nathanson has been found!_"

Why aren't they saying dead?

"_This morning she appeared in her backyard with her clothes torn. It is said that she escaped from her capturers. Tonight she is planning on telling her story of being held captive for five days and also plans on releasing the names of her capturers at a press conference at her house._"

OH. MY. GOD! SHE'S NOT DEAD! Alexander was wrong! He lied to me!

"We have to go!" Courtney pleaded.

"Oh, of course!" I agreed.

We walked up to the big crowd that was at his house, once again, but this time the numbers had increased. There was a podium on the top of the front steps. The only people standing by it were two police officers.

Suddenly, something pulled me away.

"Get your hands off me!"

I looked to see Alexander grabbing my wrist. He pulled me behind the tall bushes by the fence that separated the Nathanson's house from mine.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered.

"To be at something like this is a once in a lifetime chance."

"Y'all have to get out of here, NOW!"

I yanked my hand out of his grasp. "What are you talking about?" Oh no… She's about to die. I could see it on his face. He saw the look on my face that I had realized what he meant. "Okay, okay. I'll get them out now." I ran out of the bushes and towards the girls. By that time, Nancy was already outside at the podium and speaking to the crowd with her mom and Chris by her side. She was welcoming everybody. I noticed from afar that she was holding hands with Chris.

"Where'd you go? We thought we lost you," Courtney said.

"We have to get out of here _now_!"

Charlotte's face got angry. "But she's about to reveal her capturers!" she whined.

"I mean now!"

They all gave in and we started to walk away, all of them whining. After we had come, more people joined the crowd, so we had to fight our way through and it took forever.

Nancy began to reveal the truth. She spoke with no emotion at all, which is weird for someone that just escaped from almost dying. "For five days, these people kept me hostage. They tortured me, starved me, and beat me. They told me that after they're finish with their torture, they were gonna kill me. Today, I was able to escape with my life, and now knowing that I am safe, I will reveal their names so that no one will ever have to go through the same thing at the hands of these awful and heartless people. The worst part of it all was that I recognized the people from HP. They were..."

Rapid gun fire rang out! Everyone there fell to the ground and there was screaming coming from all directions. The girls and I didn't make it out in time, so we dropped down, and I don't think any of us got hit. Screams came from everywhere.

Finally, it stopped. Everyone cautiously got up, but then someone screamed a scream that could be heard from miles away. It was Mrs. Nathanson. She was kneeling over Nancy's body that lied at the top of the steps. There was blood everywhere. It covered her whole body and it was all over the stairs, from what I could see. Chris got up and began to freak out and cry.

While Nancy was laying there dead, all I'm thinking about is, _What is so important that Nancy had to die for knowing?_

We all walked into my house slowly. The police and paramedics checked everyone. So far, no one other than Nancy was…

We were too shocked to even start thinking about other things.

My mom came running up to us and started to inspect us. "Amanda! Are y'all okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine!"

She examined us for a long period of time. Then she finally calmed when she realized that we _were_ fine and gave us all a hug. She was quiet for a second. She must've watched what happened on the TV. "Come on, dinner's ready," she spoke with a sadness in her voice.


	7. Escape

**Sunday, October 30****th**

"Nancy, go ahead! I'll meet you at the car!" Chris screamed at her.

I watched her storm away in anger. Perfect, she's alone… I followed her to her mom's car. She was still angry at Chris.

Okay, this is my only chance to do this. If I mess this up, **He **will kill me. This is the one chance I have of kidnapping her.

I watched her walk towards the park. I continued to follow her and after a while, I finally decided to go for it. She was alone and it was perfect timing.

I ran up to her. "Need a ride?"

I walked next to her and she gave me a weird look. I noticed that she was really short! She came up to my chest. "Sorry but do I know you?"

I laughed as if it was obvious. "I'm Jeffrey Graham. Your brother's Fish Camp counselor. I saw you talking to him and walking alone so I thought that you might need a ride." I smiled at her with a flirtatious smile that she returned with a blush.

"Well, I already have a ride home."

I stopped her. "Come on. I insist." I looked her straight in the eyes. She had a sweet face. Her light brown eyes sparkled.

She finally gave in. "Okay, but I have to call my mom and tell her that you're taking me."

Oh no! I screwed up already! If she calls her mom and tells her I'm taking her then I can't kidnap her. They'll know who did it! **He's **going to be pissed.

We continued to walk.

"Crap, my phone is dead."

My lucky day! "My phone is in the car. You can use it to call your mom."

She nodded with enthusiasm and smiled.

I had her right where I wanted her. She thinks she has a chance with me so she's fallen right into my trap.

"So what's your name?" I asked her even though I already knew.

"Nancy."

I stopped and stuck out my hand. "Well Nancy, it's nice to meet you. What grade are you in?" I continued to smile at her flirtatiously.

She looks away, embarrassed for some reason. "Seventh… You?"

Oh, that's why.

"Junior." I continued to smile at her.

We walked up to my black truck. My truck was jacked-up so I knew she would have trouble getting in. I opened her door for her and helped her into my car.

She smiled at me and I returned the smile. "Thank you," she said.

I closed the door and walked around the front to the driver's side.

My plan: Knock her as that. Then I'm gonna take her to **HIM**.

I opened my door and jumped in.

Nancy was looking around for my phone. "So where is your phone?"

I lift up my left arm and clenched my fist, ready to punch her.

She looks at me and her face is a mask of panic. "Jeffrey, what are you…"

SMACK! I punch her in the face causing her head to hit the window. She passes out immediately.

I carry her body into the abandoned church. Music was playing throughout the church. **He **must be playing the old organ that was in the balcony.

She looked peaceful while she was passed out. I can't wait to take it.

"I've got her!" I screamed not caring if I'll wake her by doing so. I continued to walk down the center aisle.

The music stopped. I heard footsteps running down steps. "Are you serious?"

I turn around and look up at the balcony. **He **is standing there, leaning against the railing. I lift her up for a second to show **Him** the proof. **He** jumps over the railing and lands two feet in front of me.

"Good job Jeffrey! You didn't screw this up." **He **pushes me out of the way and heads towards the front, past the rows of pews. I followed **Him** with Nancy still passed out.

**He** walked behind a chair that faced the back of the church with ropes and duct tape on the seat of the chair. "Put her here and then tie her up." **He** picked up the rope and duct tape so I could set her on the chair.

When I turned around to get the tape from **Him**, **He** threw it at me and said, "Don't mess this up."He walked out of the sanctuary to a back room.

After I finished tying her up and putting duct tape on her mouth, I went and sat in a seat facing her and stared at her. The sun was shining through the mosaic window in the back of the church and the colors were shining on her face. She looked beautiful.

An hour later, I started to hear moaning coming from her. Her head was slowly moving around.

"She's awake!" I screamed at **Him**.

When her eyes began to open, I got up and walked up to her. Her eyes reflected her terror. "How was your sleep?" I then rip the duct tape off of her mouth, but regret it when she starts screaming for help, so I put it back on.

"Don't bother. We're at an abandoned church. No one will hear you for miles."

Her eyes widened with realization. I take it off once again. "Jeffrey, what's going on?" she pleaded.

I just kept looking at her, silent, waiting for **Him **to come in and explain everything.

A door slammed close and footsteps walking towards us were coming from the shadows. "Nancy, you know exactly what's going on."

Her head lowered and tears began to fall into her lap. "Are y'all going to kill me?"

**He **laughed, still in the shadows. "Of course we are! He told you the truth and you were gonna come after me, but I am one step ahead of you. Did you really think you could save her?" He paused for an answer that didn't come. "I think it's kind of sad how he keeps sending other people to do his dirty work. He just doesn't understand that I'll always win. I'm much stronger than him. So now I'm gonna make sure he gets the message by using you. Jeffrey, get what you want and then knock her out again."

I smile, pleased. I finally get my chance to have it. I walk up to her and bent down so that I'm eye to eye with her. "Don't worry Nancy, this won't hurt a bit." I lean in and kiss her, getting as much of it as I could. When I finally backed away, she began to gasp for air.

"You monster!" she screamed at me.

"Oh, shut up!" I knocked her out cold.

**He **walked up to me. "You have her cellphone?"

I dug it out of my pocket and tossed it to him. "It's dead though."

"Jeffrey, it's almost time. Wake her up." **He **commanded me.

I walk up to her, get the bucket full of water and pour it on wakes up screaming. "Why can't y'all just let me sleep?" she yelled at me.

"Did you hear that Jeffrey? She wants to sleep. If it's sleep you want, then it's sleep you won't get."

We learned in school that a way to torture someone is by not letting them sleep.

**He **reached into his pockets and got out Nancy's phone and a small box shaped thing. **He **threw me the phone and the box. "Jeffrey, I want you to call her mom and have Nancy tell them that we have taken her. Then I want you to tell them not to try finding her. Use that box to disguise your voice.**"**

I did exactly what he told me. I had her put it on speaker. Her mom was freaking out and she tried to talk to me after I spoke to her, but I hung up.

Nancy began to cry. "I promise I won't bother y'all ever again. Just please let me go and I won't say a word."

**He **walked up to her and for the first time since she's been here today, **He** looked her straight in the eyes. "And we're gonna make sure you don't. You're gonna be here until we're through with you. Jeffrey, get what you want and then make sure she doesn't fall asleep."

**He **walks out of the sanctuary. I walk up to her and bend down.

"Jeffrey, please don't."

I lean in and kiss her, and take as much of it as I can. When I finish, her breathing is rough and she's coughing.I walk to the seat facing her and sit down. "Thanks Nancy."

**Friday, November 4****th**

Everyday we have kept Nancy, I would take more of it from her. It's now been five days since I've kidnapped her, and I've almost taken all of it. **He **believes that once I do it today, it'll all be gone and then we can finish our plan for her.

"Jeffrey, do it now!" **He **screams at me.

I kiss her one last time and it's all gone. Everything about Nancy has disappeared. "She's ready."

He looks her in the eyes. They were gray. She has no emotion now, but her eyes are bloodshot from us keeping her awake everyday. She has bruises all over her body and face. Her dress was torn and looks like something she picked out of a dumpster. She was a completely different person from when I first took her.

"Nancy, we're gonna let you go and I want you to request an immediate press conference. You're gonna reveal the story of you being held captive for five days and then the name of your capturers."

She nodded in response, not questioning the strange task given to her. **He **walked to the table and picked up the knife. **He **then cut her free. She got up and ran down the center aisle out the back doors.

**He **turned towards me and gave me my next mission. "Go to him. Give him a warning of what's about to happen because of his mistake, and if he tries to stop it then we'll go ahead with our plan for Amanda."

I nodded, turned around and walked down the center aisle. I wasn't happy about what I was about to do.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me.

We were standing in a forest, close to her house. There were piles of leaves on the ground on the account that it was Fall. Red, orange, yellow. The colors of mayhem...of fire. Above us was a perfect view of the balcony of her room. The lights were on.

"**He **sent me to warn you about what's about to happen," I couldn't look at him. I was too ashamed.

He didn't answer. He just kept holding the two swords in his hands, prepared for any attacks that I might inflict on him. "You already told me about you killing Nancy, who's left for you to kill?"

"We let Nancy go."

"So y'all didn't kill her?" He was confused.

I kept looking away. "No," I looked up, not amused, though I should be. **He **would. "Not yet. I took it all out of her and now she's going home to request a press conference. She'll begin by telling of what we had done to her. Then, right as she's about to give up the names of her capturers…" I couldn't say it, but I had to. "We're gonna kill her."

"Why are you telling me this? Now I know and I can stop it from happening." He didn't understand.

"It's the same deal as last time. If you try to prevent it, **He'll** put the curse even worse than the one we're already planning on doing on her instead."

"I won't let you put any curse on her. I'll stop you before you can."

I ignored him. It's so sad how hard he tries to do his job right. He's let two people die and Amanda get attacked. He must be a huge disappointment to his dad. "**He **alsosays that no matter who you tell, they'll all end up dead. If Caroline wasn't good enough to help you understand, then hopefully Nancy will help get the message through your head. No matter what you do, Amanda will always be in danger. You have to fight this by yourself. So I suggest you just stop trying to defeat **Him**...because you're never gonna win." He wouldn't look at me, he just looked up at her balcony. I strangely felt bad for what we were about to do to Nancy. He was already guilty enough. But he shouldn't have let her out of his sight. "Why are you fighting so hard for this? For her? Is she really worth it?"

"Yes, she is, because…" He turned around. "I love her." He started to walk away. "Tell **Him** that I'm never gonna stop until she's safe...from **Him**."

I kept staring at him then shook my head and turned around. As I walked away, I whispered, "I'm sorry…Alexander."


	8. The Dream That Changed Everything

We stumbled into my room. My mom made her famous rosemary chicken with those mini, seasoned potatoes. We were stuffed out of our minds, but that didn't help us stop thinking about Nancy's...passing.

"Did anyone actually see her get shot?" Elaine asked softly. Her tone was different than usual. Everyone shook their head. I thanked God for not having that image in my head.

"It all happened so fast. One second she's standing there and then in the blink of an eye she's drowning in her own blood," Charlotte said.

Everyone suddenly became quiet.

"Guys, I'm so tired," Lindsey complained, breaking the silence.

Well, who isn't after almost getting shot?!

They all got into their sleeping bags while I went and turned off the lights. "Okay. Is everybody ready?" They all nodded their heads. I turned off the lights and turned on my phone light and started walking towards the group. "Hey, sorry if I step on you."

I finally reached my sleeping bag without stepping on anyone. I got settled in and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight!" We'd say, one after the other.

Soon...I began to dream…

_I awoke in my room, the girls still asleep._

_"Courtney? Elaine? Lindsey? Charlotte?"_

_None of them answered._

_For some reason my curtains were open. I could oddly see the moon perfectly. It was peering into my room._

_I walked towards the window-doors that led to the balcony and opened them and walked onto the dark platform._

_The moon was huge. It was so big and close that it was as if I could run off the earth and jump right onto the moon. Everything became dark. The moon began to turn red. It looked almost like an eclipse. I watched the red silk sheet slowly take over the moon. When the whole moon was covered, a giant force swept over Dallas. The force threw me against the window-doors and I flew through the glass._

_I started to freak out and repeat, "I'm bleeding! Somebody help me!"_

_"Amanda, are you okay?" Elaine ran up to me along with the others._

_"No! Help get the glass out of me!"_

_I examined myself and there wasn't a scratch on me. I looked at the door and it was back together._

_"And then the moon..." I looked up to see it normal again. It was normal size. Suddenly, a green light lit up my room. We all ran to the windows to see Chris's house lit up with green and a green fog hovering over and encircling his house._

_"I think we should check it out," Charlotte insisted._

_"Are you crazy? I don't think ANY of us should go!" Lindsey said._

_But I said I would go._

_I ran out the house to the front gate then to his house. On the steps leading to the front door was a stain from the puddle of blood from Nancy being shot to death._

_I walked up to the door and knocked on it, but it was already open._

_"Hello? Chris? Mrs. Nathanson? Is everything okay?"_

_No one answered. I went ahead and went inside. I headed for the stair case and went upstairs. The master bedroom door was cracked open and the green light was coming from the room._

_"Mrs. Nathanson?"_

_I opened the door more and the green light was gone. It was dark._

_"Mrs. Nathanson, is everything okay?"_

_I searched the wall for the light switch._

_When I finally found it, I tripped over something. I searched the wall again and made sure that I didn't trip over the same thing. When I turned on the light, I looked to see what I tripped over._

_"OH MY GOD!" I screamed. It was Mrs. Nathanson...dead! There was a bullet hole right between her eyes that were still open. Her face showed that she was surprised. Blood covered her face. _

_I backed away into the door frame and ran into someone. I turned around to see Chris. There was blood all over his shirt and his hands, which were covering something on his stomach. He moved his hands away to reveal a bullet hole._

_"Oh my God, Chris!"_

_He began to fall, but I caught him and laid him on the ground slowly and softly._

_"Who did this to you?!" I tried to put pressure on the bullet wound. Tears were starting to stream down my face._

_He grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me towards him. "It's Alexander! He's come to kill us all!" he screamed with his last breath. He silently died._

_WAIT! Alexander has come to kill us all? Then that means…_

_A green light shone into the window in the hallway. It was coming from my house._

_"NO!"_

_I ran out of the Nathansons' house to my house. The adrenaline coursing through my veins gave me super speed._

_The green light was gone except for the one in my room. I ran upstairs and the door was cracked open._

_"Lindsey? Courtney? Charlotte? Elaine?"_

_I opened it more and then gasped at the sight. The moon's light lit up the room to reveal that they were all lying dead on the floor covered in blood._

_"It's your turn, Amanda," someone whispered in my ear._

_I rapidly turned around to see Alexander with blood all over him. In his right hand was a gun. In his left, a knife that looked like the one they used in _Scream_._

_"Alexander, what are you doing?!"_

_He slowly walked towards me and I slowly walked backwards._

_"No one can survive this horror movie," he said with an evil smile on his face._

_"This isn't _Scream_ Alexander! You can't just kill people!" I screamed at him, hoping he would realize his craziness._

_"Actually, I can. That's what I do… I kill. And I must say that it's rather fun."_

_I tripped over someone and looked to see it was Lindsey._

_She was just barely alive to give me one last command. "Run," she whispered as blood came out of her mouth and landed on my left hand._

_Alexander began to come after me and I quickly got up and ran. He almost had me cornered but then I jumped on the bed and ran over it, trying to avoid my feet getting caught in the covers, and out the door._

_"You can run but you can't hide!" he screamed at me as I ran down the stairs. I tried to go out the front doors, but they were locked, and I didn't have time to try to unlock them. I ran through the hallways to the opposite side of the house, the pool._

_The pool room was dark, and there was barely any light from the moon shinning in the room._

_I went to the other side of the room to the light switch and turned on the pool light._

_"OH GOD!" My right hand was suddenly covering my mouth, keeping me from gagging, and I slid to the floor with my back against the wall. The pool was blood red because Odys was floating in it...dead._

_"Miss me yet?"_

_In the doorway was Alexander._

_I burst out crying. "Please, stop!" I screamed, I pleaded, through my sobs as I slowly stood up knowing I would be running in a few seconds. I knew that no matter how much I pleaded, he wouldn't stop, but that didn't stop me from trying. "Alexander, please! I love you! Why are you doing this to me?" I realized at that moment that I did in fact love Alexander, even as he was trying to kill me. Maybe he felt the same way, he just didn't realize it yet._

_He shook his head and slowly pointed his gun at me. "I saved you for this moment."_

_I screamed and sprinted for the other door. A gun shot rang out and I felt something pierce my left shoulder. I stopped right before I reached the door and looked at my shoulder. He shot me in the fucking shoulder!_

_"You bitch!" I screamed at him._

_He became even angrier than he actually was (which I didn't know was possible). He began to charge after me._

_"FUCK! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Did I mention that I hate being chased? I ran out the door and down the hallway._

_I didn't understand what was going on. I thought he loved me. But that no longer clouded my judgement. All I could think of now was to survive._

_Two more gun shots rang out, and then I didn't hear him running after me anymore. I turned around to see him gone. To my left was my dad's office. My dad was in his chair, with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. I covered my mouth to keep me from screaming. Right as I turned back around at the opening of the hallway, I ran into something._

_Alexander grabbed my right arm. "Amanders, Amanders. I warned you of getting involved. Now, because you did, everyone has to die, including you."_

_I tried to yank away but his grip was too tight, and kept getting tighter the more I struggled. There was no sight of the gun. It was now replaced by the knife._

_"I didn't get involved! I don't know anything!"_

_"LIAR!" He punched me in the face with the hand that held the knife which made the punch more terrifying than painful._

_Tears were streaming down my face again. I looked at him with disgust. "You're mad Alexander! You know me! You love me! Please don't do this!"_

_He laughed. "You know, for a second there I was starting to even believe myself. I guess that's the power of acting." He smiled and started cutting my right arm, from my wrist to my elbow. GOD! It fucking hurt! He put the blade to my face and caressed my face with it. I closed my eyes to try and keep me from freaking out at the sight of it. The muscles in my face were tightening, getting ready for if he cuts my face. "You always had such a pretty face. I'm sure gonna miss the life you had in it." He began to lean in. He slowly kissed my neck and made his way to my ear. "There's also another motive," Alexander whispered in my ear. He kissed my lips, and for the first time ever, I didn't kiss them back._

_"What?" I hissed through my teeth._

_He went back to my ear. "The one thing you never gave me, but had the balls to give Chris. Which is why I had to kill him."_

_He's crazy! I didn't have sex with Chris! And how would he have known that anyway?_

_I began to do that thing that you do to hawk a loogie. I then spat it in his face. He let his guard down and his grip was finally loose. I was able to pull away and run. I ran towards the front of the house and for the front door. Outside I heard sirens coming. I quickly tried to unlock the door. Once I did, I swung open the front door and began to scream, "HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"_

_I was about to start running when, "I'll help," was whispered by Alexander in my ear. The words, how they were said, sounded so familiar._

_His left arm wrapped around my chest, pulling me close to him. I feel the blade of the knife cutting my throat. He unwraps his arm and I fall onto the ground and clenched my throat, trying to stop the bleeding. I looked at him with defeat and he bent down and kissed me on the forehead._

_"Love kills slowly." He slowly stood back up. "But apparently for you...too slow." He then pointed his gun at my head, and pulled the trigger._

"AHHHHHHHHH!" I sat up and screamed. There was sweat all over me.

"Amanda! Are you okay?" Courtney asked me.

I wiped the sweat off my face. "I don't know. I had this horrible dream that…"

Suddenly, a green light shone through my curtains.

We all ran up to the curtains and opened them. There was a green light in Chris' house and a green fog hovering over the house.

Oh NO! It's coming true! The dream!

"I think we should check it out," Charlotte insisted.

I looked at her with eyes of fright. This isn't happening! Then Lindsey is gonna say…

"Are you crazy? I don't think _ANY _of us should check it out," she said.

"NO!" I screamed.

They all looked at me with confusion.

"We all have to go! We have to stick together!" I screamed.

"Okay, okay," Lindsey agreed.

We walked out of the house and headed for the Nathansons' house. We went up the steps and saw a stain where the puddle of blood from Nancy was. Charlotte knocked on the door, but it was already open. She pushed it open even more, but I stopped her.

"My dream. This is what I dreamt of! Everyone is about to die!"

I flew open the door.

"Amanda? Wait!"

I ran upstairs to Mrs. Nathanson's room.

"Mrs. Nathanson!" I run into the room and go to where I believed the light switch was, but then I trip over something. I quickly get up and turn on the lights to see it was only a stack of magazines.

"AMANDA! What are you doing here?!"

I looked to the bed to see Mrs. Nathanson looking at me with rage.

"Amanda?"

In the doorway appeared Chris.

"There was a green light and we came to see that everything was okay."

Chris looked around. "Who's we?"

I looked at Mrs. Nathanson to see her dialing on the phone.

"The girls and I."

"Uh, Amanda. There's no one else here."

"So tell me again _exactly_ what happened?" the police officer asked me.

I was sitting on the couch in the Nathansons' house. There were flashing lights from the front of the house that reached all the way to the back living room. Police were every, either trying to find some evidence that what I saw was true or talking to someone like my parents or Mrs. Nathanson, who was not in a good state. I could tell that she was tired of the police being at her house. I just hope she doesn't hate me after this.

My parents were on the other side of the room talking to officers, trying to persuade them to let me off with a warning.

My friends were out front being questioned by officers. I don't know what happened but I am certain that they ran to the house with me and saw the green glow!

I could see Chris in the kitchen talking to an officer. He kept looking at me. Wait...did he just wink at me? A police officer walked into my view and blocked Chris and when he moved away...he's gone! I think I'm imagining things because I'm so tired.

I turned my attention back to the officer. "I already told you. I had this dream that I awoke to a green light shinning over and in this house. So I went to check it out and found everyone dead. Then I woke up and the same exact thing happened. So my friends, who saw it too, and I came over here to make sure everything was okay."

"That's where I have to stop you. All of your friends where at your house, _asleep_, and they told us that none of that happened. What were you _actually_ doing here?"

"Exactly what I told you! They're lying!"

"Miss, I think you need to come down to the station."

**Saturday, November 5****th**

I sat in the holding cell. I had been there for hours. It was probably twelve o' clock by now.

There was some freak that was big, bald, and had tattoos all on his arms and neck sitting a couple of feet away from me. He kept looking at me and winking. I tried to ignore him by looking away, but it wasn't helping.

"Do you have a problem?" I snapped at him.

He shook his head. I looked away.

"I'm Fred."

I looked at him. "I'm sixteen!"

He laughed.

"Miss Hicks. You're good to go."

OH THANK GOD!

I walked out of the cell and waved my hand without turning around. "Bye Fred!"

"See ya Sixteen!"

I'm glad my parents finally came and picked me up. I was ready to go home.

I walked into the lobby and looked around for my parents, but didn't see them. "Um, Officer. I don't see my parents."

"Your parents aren't the ones picking you up." He pointed at a guy that was standing at some counter with his back facing us. I knew the back of that head from anywhere.

Alexander.

I ran behind the officer and began screaming, "GET HIM AWAY FROM ME! HE'S COME TO KILL US ALL!"

Alexander turned around. When he saw that I was pointing at him, his facial expression quickly turned to embarrassment. "Amanda, please."

"Get away from me!" I hissed as he tried to walk towards us.

There were now a group of police officers holding me trying to get me to go to Alexander.

"Miss, please. Your parents sent him to pick you up."

"I don't care! Just don't let me leave with him! He'll try to kill me!"

Alexander was the only one in the room that was staying calm. "Amanda, trust me." He whispered so only I could hear. He held his hand out to me. I know Alexander, and when he says those words, he really means that you can trust him.

I finally calmed down and took his hand. We walked out of the station towards his Jeep. I got in and sat down. He got in and started the car, and began to drive away.

It was late morning and the sun was beating down on me like the interrogation lamp.

I was looking at the palms of my hands. They were shaking.

He started to reach for my hands in anger. "Why do you keep looking at your palms?"

I pulled them away before he could grab them. "Don't you dare touch me," I commanded through my teeth.

"What _happened_ last night?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? Because I think you know what happened last night." He looked at me, clueless, then back at the road. I sighed. He probably didn't know. "Last night I had a dream. A dream that almost came true. A dream that there was this green glow at the Nathanson's house and when I went to go check it out, you had killed Chris and his mom. Then you killed my friends, family, and last...me. And it was all because I knew the truth. But what's funny about all of this is that I don't know what the truth even is! I have no clue what's going on! But whatever it is, it must be pretty big, and here's what I've figured out. Caroline came after you because she knew the truth and she knew I was in danger. So you killed her. Then, somehow Nancy found out the truth so you kidnapped her but then she escaped. And that's when you killed _her_. And Jeffrey's car, he's involved in this too. He's the car that hit Caroline, so I hate him."

Alexander didn't respond. He neither denied or agreed with what I said.

"So if knowing the truth means death, then I don't want to know! I want you to leave me alone!" He continued to look at the road. "But I've been trying to figure out what the truth is. I have one theory. It's actually really stupid, but it's all I've got."

He raised his right eyebrow, now interested in what I had to say.

I looked at my palms. "You and Jeffrey are vampires and Caroline was a vampire slayer, and Nancy was just some innocent soul that got mixed up in all of this crazy vampire shit." I took a deep breath.

He was silent for a second and then broke out laughing. "Vampires? You've got to be kidding me." He continued to mock me.

I punched him in the right shoulder. "This is serious, Alexander! People are dying and you're the cause of it! Oh my God...I'm dating a killer. A cold hearted killer." I looked up at him and he looked at me with guilt.

"It is my fault, but not in the way that you think." He sighed. "You're also the cause of it."

"What are you talking about?"

He was silent for a minute before he spoke again. "Come to my house and I'll explain everything."

I looked at him like he was crazy, but then nodded in agreement.

We pulled up to the Italian style, two story house. His family is very big in their Italian roots. It was average size and I liked it. Having a house as big as mine is creepy, especially after that dream.

"It's been so long since I've been here." I popped my head out of the doorway of his car (because the doors were off) and looked at the house as we drove into the semi-circle driveway. The house looked like it belonged at a beach.

He parked the car directly in front of the house. I jumped out of the car and walked up to the house with Alexander next to me. The blurred glass front door revealed that someone was walking up to open it.

"Amanda! It's good to see you!" Mrs. Moretti exclaimed in her strong Italian accent as she quickly flung the door open. She hugged me and her long, curly, dark brown hair was in my face. She was short like me and also the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She was super skinny and had pretty light brown eyes. She used to be an Italian supermodel, but then she got pregnant.

"It's good to see you too," I replied with honesty.

She let go and looked at Alexander with disappointment in her eyes. "Alessandro, why do you keep Amanda from us? Come, come," she swatted us inside with her hands. "We prepared lunch."

I giggled at Alexander who didn't look very pleased with his mom, or, might I say Alessandro?

We walked towards the kitchen.

In the front entryway, on the wall above the opening, was the family crest of the Moretti's. It was a blue shield with two Stars of David that represented living for God at the top and a full moon under the one on the left and a sun under the one on the right to represent work (Alexander told me all of this). Above the shield was the words "To Work And Live". There were two empty sword holders on each side of the shield. Alexander told me that they weren't apart of the family crest but they were apart of the family history. I've always wondered what _their_ story was.

I stopped Alexander in the middle of the front entry way. It was open and there was a regular stairway on the left. The house wasn't big like mine, it was regular.

"Hey, Alexander, what happened to the swords?" I was looking up and pointing at the empty holders.

He looked up. "They're being...polished."

"You've never did tell me the story of them." I looked at him. He was still looking at the empty holders, but with a weird look on his face. He's lying.

"As you know, I'm an Alessandro, or Alexander, of a long line of Alessandros in my family, and there's a reason for that. It all started with the first Alessandro. In the small town that was run by my family came a period of troubles. Famines, droughts, stuff like that. Alessandro **I** took ten men out to go hunting for whatever they could find for the town. Alessandro's only son, Lorenzo, wanted to go too but Alessandro wouldn't allow it with him only being twelve.

Alessandro took the men out in the woods and said they couldn't leave until they had enough food for the whole town. They were out there for days and still hadn't killed anything.

One night, as the sun was setting, they were all getting ready to go to sleep until they heard a loud scream from the woods. They all ran to where the screaming was coming from and found Lorenzo on the ground, covered in blood, holding two of the finest swords he stole from his uncle's blacksmith shop. Lorenzo had been following the group for days trying to get in on the hunt. He was attacked by some animal...so they thought.

Alessandro is trying to help his son when he realizes his son wasn't attacked by an animal. Next thing the men know, something comes out of the trees and attacks them one by one. They each disappear from the clearing within seconds till the only ones left were Alessandro and Lorenzo. Alessandro then takes the swords from his son's dying hands and stands in an attack position, waiting for the creature to show itself. Ten feet in front of him, it comes out of the bushes.

He then sees that it was only a man that was about Alessandro's age. He looked normal and Alessandro put his swords to his side and began to speak to the man and warn him about something attacking his hunting group. Then the man showed his true colors. Blood dripping from his teeth, eyes glowing red, he came after Alessandro. It was as if he wasn't even a man. He tried to put his swords up to kill the man, but it knocked him out before he could do it.

He woke up later at the campsite. There was a fire burning and he saw that all of his men were scattered around the campsite. On the other side of the fire, across from Alessandro, was his son. The man was nowhere to be seen.

He tried to get up, but then heard something coming from the bushes, so he pretended to still be knocked out. Before he closed his eyes, he noticed the two swords a foot or two away from him. The man walked into the campsite and began to do something to one of the men. He heard wheezing coming from the victim and decided to see what was going on. He saw that the man was on the other side of the fire where Lorenzo was with his back to Alessandro.

Alessandro began to reach for the two swords. Once he had them in his grip, he slowly began to get up. Alessandro then saw something he's never seen before. The man had his face inches away from Lorenzo's and was holding Lorenzo's mouth open. There was a red wind coming out of Lorenzo's mouth and going into the man's mouth.

He slowly began to creep up to the man who was too busy with Lorenzo to even notice or hear Alessandro coming up behind him. Alessandro stood behind the man and put up both of his swords, one in each hand, ready to stab the man. At that moment, the man turned around and before he could attack Alessandro, Alessandro stabbed the man in the chest, piercing both lungs. The man died immediately.

Alessandro pushed the body away and leaned down next to Lorenzo. Lorenzo told his father that he was sorry for disobeying him between each dying breath. Alessandro told him that it was okay and he told his son that he loved him. Lorenzo died before he could respond.

Alessandro wanted to figure out what the man was, so he took both the swords out of him and used one of them to cut the man open. The man looked normal on the inside except for his heart, it was black and cold. Alessandro knew this was no normal man. He thought it might be a vampire, for there were stories about them from other towns, so he opened the man's mouth and checked his teeth, but they were normal. After inspecting the man, he threw the body into the burning fire. The fire burnt crimson red.

Alessandro checked his other men, but they were all dead.

That night, Alessandro slept holding his son in his arms.

In Alessandro's dream, an angel came to him and spoke of what had happened that day. He told Alessandro of the man and that he was a creature from the depths of the Hell. A creature that had escaped Hell to steal souls for himself. He was called a Fraudator Animas, Stealer of Souls. One of many. They stole souls of the innocent, making them stronger.

The angel said that God chose Alessandro to fight against this evil as long as it exist on the Earth. He'd be given the strength and power he needed to fight the creatures, along with his siblings if they chose to also partake in this responsibility. He also said that since Alessandro can't live forever, and he'd have to pass down the responsibility that God gave him to every child he has on their thirteenth birthday.

Alessandro began to weep and told the angel that his only child, his only son, was killed by the man. The angel told him that when he wakes up, his son will be alive, but that he must name his son Alessandro so it's as if he'll always be alive. And each Alessandro must also name their first son Alessandro. The angel said that God is so grateful for the responsibility that Alessandro is taking on that he'll make Alessandro a promise to keep his family plentiful in their needs and that he'll wipe away the town's troubles.

When Alessandro woke up, his son was indeed alive as if he had never died. Alessandro told his son of the dream and they decided to go back to the town and see if God kept his promise, but right before they left, Alessandro picked up the swords. He saw that written on them were strange inscriptions. It's said that it was the language of God. Alessandro could read what it said, but his son couldn't. It had the responsibility of Alessandro written on it. It wasn't until Lorenzo's thirteenth birthday that he would be able to read what it said.

When they arrived at the town, they saw that God _had_ kept his promise. Alessandro told his family the story and of God's promise and our family became plentiful in many things. Lorenzo was then changed to Alessandro **II**.

Since then, the story and the swords have been passed down the family."

By the time he finished the story, we were laying down on the floor, still looking at the empty holders.

"Do you really believe that story?" I asked him.

He laughed. "Of course not. It's a legend, no doubt."

"So what Alessandro are you?" I turned on my side towards Alexander and propped my head up with my hand and elbow. I had completely forgotten about everything. All I could think of was now, and how in my dream I realized that I loved Alexander. We promised each other we would never actually say it because we were only in high school, but I couldn't help it. I was undoubtedly in love with Alexander, and I wasn't going to deny that truth to myself.

"Nineteenth."

I shot up. "Are you serious?"

We were interrupted by the smell of the Moretti's famous lasagna dish and my stomach was starting to rumble. It was my favorite dish that they made! I asked for the recipe, but Mrs. Moretti said, "Once you and Alessandro are married, then you can have recipe."

We reached the kitchen. It was the most beautiful Tuscan style kitchen ever. It had a sun roof, and one of the walls was a window and looked out into the backyard that was transformed into a giant garden.

In the summer, Alexander and I would walk through that garden for hours. It was like one giant maze of flowers. Mrs. Moretti grew every ingredient possible, so 98% of what's in the lasagna was grown from her garden. And, the pasta part of the lasagna is made by them. The pasta company is a family business on Mr. Moretti's side of the family.

"Mmm! Smells good Mr. and Mrs. Moretti!" I exclaimed as I sat down at the bar.

Alexander sat in the seat next to me.

Mr. Moretti was standing at the island with his back facing me, probably touching up the lasagna (his back is to me so I don't see any secrets of the lasagna).

Mr. Moretti turned around with two plates in his hands, a HUGE slice of lasagna on each.

Mr. Moretti was an older version of Alexander. He was very handsome like Alexander. He was actually a little taller than Alexander, and his name is Alexander, too.

"Amanda, it's so good to see you." He looked me in the eyes and smiled.

His English was better than Mrs. Moretti's, but he still had an accent. Alexander explained to me that it was because Mrs. Moretti went and visited home more than him, who only went back on holidays.

"I've missed y'all and y'all's delicious meals."

Mrs. Moretti squealed in delight. "Y'all! I love you're Texan accent! It's so Texas!"

I looked at Alexander and smiled. He returned it with a smile and then a shake of his head as if he was telling me that I don't have an accent (but there are those instances when I'll say some word in a Texan accent).

While we all ate our lasagna, we talked about school, family, their trip to Italy for Thanksgiving, and then we got on this big discussion about recipes. Alexander wasn't too happy about it. Then we cleaned up all the dishes and Alexander took me to the garden. We were silent. Didn't speak a word until we were in the farthest part of the garden from the house. At this moment, the lunch went from happy to disconsolate within five-seconds.

"Amanda, I can't lie to you anymore," he turned to me with eyes of pain.

I stopped him before he could say anymore. "Like I said Alexander, if me knowing the truth puts me in danger, then I don't wanna know!"

He shook his head and sat me down on the stone bench. Engraved in it was a quote from _Romeo and Juliet_. There were benches all over this garden with quotes from _Romeo and Juliet_. This one was the most ironic: "My only love sprung from my only hate; too early unknown and known too late." I swear he did this on purpose.

"Knowing doesn't put you in danger. If anything, you're more in danger by not knowing. It was that you weren't ready to know is why I haven't told you."

I looked away. That's not fair. "Then why did Caroline and Nancy have to die for knowing?"

He grabbed my face and turned it towards him. "They didn't die for knowing. They died trying to protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

He sighed. Something was holding him back. "You were almost ready. You had the open mind I needed for you to have. But now, after everything that happened last night, you won't understand. I need to give you time before I can tell you."

I stood up in anger. "I can take care of myself. And you're right, I don't understand… I don't understand why people have to die for me." I started to walk away, but I stopped and turned around. "You know, I never asked anyone to protect me! I never asked anyone to _die_ for me!"

He stood up in a furry. "Neither did the others!"

"Others? What do you mean _others_?"

He sat back down and looked away. He was watching his parents in the kitchen. "There are others in the world that are going through the same situation. Others that know how you feel right now."

"And they probably know what's going on?"

"Or about to learn."

I stepped closer to him. "So just tell me."

_CRACK!_

Alexander quickly stood up and was suddenly in a position as if he was protecting me. He had a horrible look on his face as he rapidly looked everywhere for the source of the noise. His look soon changed, though. The look on his face now told me that he was thinking. He then got the look that he had an idea on his face. He turned towards me in excitement. "Come to Italy with me, for Thanksgiving!"

I looked at him with shock. "Are you serious?"

He nodded in excitement then leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I can tell you everything there. It'll be safer."

I thought for a while. A trip with Alexander? It would be interesting if I got to go there with him. Wait, this sounds like _Twilight_! Didn't she go to Italy? Oh God…

"Why not," I shrugged.

He hugged me, picked me up, and kissed me multiple times all over my face. "I promise you'll won't regret this!" We started to head back to the house, he grabbed my hand, and then pulled me close to him. "Don't trust anyone," he whispered in my ear.

"Italy? For Thanksgiving? They don't even celebrate Thanksgiving there!" my dad explained to me (thank you Captain Obvious).

"Alexander told me that each time they go to Italy to visit family, it's like Thanksgiving times a million! And, it's one Thanksgiving. I've had fifteen with y'all."

"Amanda, you were just released from prison a couple of hours ago," my mom pointed out. "I don't think we should be letting you since you got yourself arrested."

"First off, I was in a holding cell. Second off, I wasn't really arrested. They didn't charge me with anything since it was a first offense. They just gave me a warning punishment by making me sit in the holding cell so that I learn my lesson not to cause a public disturbance." I scoffed. "Why am I telling this to you? You're the one that told me this!" Oh...my parents are trying to find an excuse to not let me go, and by the looks on their faces, they figured out that I have foiled their plan and now they have no other choice.

My dad sat down on the couch next to me while my mom continued to pace in front of us. It was silent for a couple of minutes, and when I was about to give up all hope, my dad spoke. "If this is what you want, Amanda…"

My body began to shake with excitement. "It is!"

"Then you can go with Alexander and his family on vacation."

I jumped up from the couch and began to jump around and hug my parents while I repeatedly thanked my parents. I ran up to my mom and hugged her. "But we have to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Moretti and talk some things out with them," she informed me.

"Oh, yes. Of course!" I ran to my dad and hugged him.

"And, you have to call us every day to tell us what you're going to do and what you did," my dad added.

"I love you guys! Y'all are the best parents EVER!" I screamed. "I have to go call Alexander!"

As I started running up the stairs, the door bell rang. I stopped and turned around and ran down to the door.

"I got it!" I screamed to anyone who was going to answer it.

I opened the door and saw that no one was at the door. I stepped out onto the porch but stepped on something in the process. I look down and on the porch is a small white box. I step back and pick it up. It was wrapped with a green ribbon that was in a bow and had a tag on it. The tag said, "From Alexander".

I took the box up to my room. My room was a mess from the girls spending the night last night. Their stuff was gone but there was empty cans, food, pillows, and blankets everywhere. After I got arrested, their parents came and picked them up.

I sat on my bed that was missing most of its covers. I unwrapped the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a silver bracelet in the shape of a snake. On the inside of the bracelet it was inscribed, "Let my love not choke thee, but take thy heart". It was weird but sweet.

I put the bracelet on my right wrist. It looked as if a snake was wrapping around my wrist. Too bad my long sleeve shirts will be covering it all the time. It's November and that means the weather is getting colder for WINTER!

**Monday, November 21****st**

For weeks my parents and his parents had been planning me going on the trip with them. Alexander and I are so excited. It's weird because you'd think that after having that dream of him killing everyone and me, I'd stop wanting to be around him, but he's gonna tell me the truth, and I think that it's gonna be good. I think that I'm dating the good guy for once. But, then there's Jeffrey. I think Alexander is friends with the enemy. How do I know? Because I'm not fucking retarded, that's how I know. His car was messed up because of something that happened on the day of Caroline's murder, obviously he hit her. Why haven't I called the police? Because I _obviously_ don't have any proof. And even if I did, they would still think I'm crazy, especially after me breaking into the Nathansons' house.

We walked through the airport towards our gate after we had just gone through airport security. It was early in the morning.

"So what's it like having a family with such a strong heritage?" I asked Alexander.

We sat down at the gate with his parents. They were discussing something in Italian so I had no clue. I hope that I pick some up while I'm in Italy.

He had this look like he was thinking about it, trying to weigh the pros and cons. "It's okay. Sometimes it's really annoying because you have a lot of weight to carry when you have a long family history. There's so much expected of you."

I knew at that moment I would learn by the end of this week what the weight he was carrying was.

"Group one now boarding the plane," the lady announced over the intercom.

Alexander and his parents jumped up. I looked at them with curiosity. Group one is…

"Alexander, are we..."

He smiled at me and nodded his head, then he held his hand out and I grabbed it and stood up.


	9. You Were Destined For Greatness

My dad used to always tell me, "Alessandro! You are meant for greatness. _Never_ forget that!" He'd always tell me this whenever I came home from school crying because some kid in my class picked on me.

As a child, I was weak, useless, short, wimpy, hopeless. No matter how nice I was, they still hated me because I was the class loser. I couldn't stand up for myself to save my life. I was that geeky, glasses wearing, small wimp that everyone picked on.

But all of that changed when I turned thirteen. Seventh grade.

Within a month since I turned thirteen, my whole body was suddenly changing. I was taller, stronger, faster, and didn't need my glasses anymore. I was _actually_ worth looking at. To me, it was almost angelic.

I guess you could say I had a Spiderman change! Haha! You know? He was bit by a spider and it changed him the way it did me, except for the taller part, and the fact I didn't get bit by a spider (but I thought I did).

My dad new what was going on and finally explained to me what was happening. "Alessandro… Today...you're greatness starts today. You are a man of God. One of God's soldiers." He explained to me the responsibility that has been passed down our family. The one from the story of the swords that he has told me a thousand times since I could understand the English language.

I was afraid. It was all new to me. In my mind, I believed I would mess it up. I would kill the wrong person. But he assured me that I would know, that it's a sixth sense to us.

Everyday he would train me and will continue to train me until I'm eighteen.

The swords that have the strange writing on it, I could read it now. I could speak it.

The training was treacherous. My father never went easy on me. "They won't go easy on you, so why should I?"

It wasn't until I learned that the responsibility was real that I finally put the puzzle pieces together of my father's life. Him coming home late at night. Him always going on "business trips". Those days when he was too exhausted to come play with me. And it didn't stop after I received the responsibility. We have to continue fulfilling it until our bodies don't allow us to anymore.

"But that doesn't mean that I will kill any for you. You kill your find. You don't want them to see you as weak otherwise others will come after you and kill you."

The Fraudators Animas like populated areas because that's where they'll most likely find a strong soul (which is rare thing to find), which I will explain in a second. They also like how it's easier for them to find people that they can easily take a soul from. Major cities are the hubs for Fraudators Animas.

The first time I found one was in eighth grade, four months after my thirteenth birthday. Four months of training. I picked up quite quickly. The moment I walked into my Spanish class on the first day of school, I knew that someone in the room was one of them. By the end of the first month of school, I figured out that it was the teacher. Mr. Nathanson. He was one of them. I knew he had a family, so it made the thought of killing him harder. He even had a picture of them on his desk, which I could never get myself to look at otherwise it would make it harder.

When I made this discovery, I told my father, and I also told him how I was afraid to do it. It was someone's father! How could I kill someone's father?

"Alessandro, no matter how much it might hurt you or someone else, you've got to do your job. You've got to be _strong_ Alessandro. Think of the lives you'll be saving."

So the next day, after school, I waited near his car. I waited for him. It wasn't until the sun had set that he left the school which was perfect because then no one would see.

I had the two swords with me, I was nervous and couldn't stop shaking. But I kept hearing my father in my head telling me to be strong, and I could only think of the people I would be saving.

As soon as he got in his car, I ran up to it and jumped in.

"Alexander? What are you doing in here?"

I held one of the swords to his neck. "Just drive and do what I say." I told him where to go. I took him to a forest outside of HP. He kept trying to convince me that I was mistaken and crazy and that he had no clue what was going on, but my instincts told me otherwise.

"Alexander, think before…"

"Get out!" I screamed at him.

I led him with the swords at his neck towards the middle of the forest with his hands up. "Alexander, I don't know…"

"Shut up Mr. Nathanson! I know the truth. You don't have to pretend anymore."

He froze and slowly turned around and there was an evil smile slowly forming on his face, his eyes...red. Once he faced me, he began to clap. "Good job Alexander Moretti. For a beginner, you're pretty good. I think that each generation of the Moretti's gets better and better at their job. Sadly, so do we. Strength will never help you destroy us. We'll just keep growing in numbers and becoming stronger and stronger." He turned around and got on his knees, then put his hands to his side. "So go ahead Alexander, but killing me won't make any difference. Just keep lying to yourself that you're making the world a better place. Like father like son is what I always say."

My rage took over me, I began to scream, so without thinking, I crossed the swords to cut his head off. His head fell to the ground and the rest of his body became limp and dropped down.

My dad taught me to burn any evidence of a murder. I picked up the head and the body and walked back to his car. It was a black Range Rover, so I put the body and the head in the back. I got in the driver's seat and drove the car to a field near the Trinity River far from anyone's sight. All those driving lessons in Italy paid off, and the fact that the transformation made me look like a high schooler also helped.

It was there that I set the car on fire and let it burn till there was barely anything there and you wouldn't be able to recognize anything, not even the license plate. The body was completely burned to ash. I took every thing that was left and threw it into the river. The river is so dirty that it wouldn't matter if there were scraps of burned metal in it.

I knew he had a family, I knew this would hurt them, but I knew that since I had killed Mr. Nathanson, all the souls he had taken were returned to the owners, like his wife's. I felt a sudden need to see the lives that I was destroying.

I called a taxi and had it take me to their house. It was empty, so I went inside and walked around the house. In his bedroom, I got that feeling, but I knew it would eventually fade away from this room. I walked into the daughters room. It was the room of a young child. In the son's room, it was strange. I had the feeling of a Fraudator Animas. At first I thought it was from Mr. Nathanson, but I realized it was different.

_"Like father like son is what I always say."_

I rushed home to ask my dad about it. "Dad, is it possible for their kind to pass it down to an offspring?"

He thought for a second. "Follow me." We walked to his office and he sat down in his swivel chair. He picked up the phone and started calling someone. "Ciao Mamma!" He spoke into the phone. He continued to speak Italian and I understood every word.

Translated: "Hey Ma! I have a question. Alexander thinks that the Fraudators Animas can have offspring like them. Is that true?" It was silent and he kept nodding his head. "Okay, okay. Thanks Ma!" He hangs up the phone. "You're Nonna asked Uncle Ugo and he said the they've been thinking the same thing. They have gotten smarter. They have figured out that they can have offspring like them, but they can only pass it down to the first born. They're like us. They don't get their ability until they turn thirteen."

I tried to find out who the son was, but I was having a hard time finding him. All I knew was that his name was Chris Nathanson and nothing else. It wasn't until I was a Sophomore that I was able to start figuring out who he was. The day I walked into Mr. Cruise's classroom, my teacher from last year, I felt something strange. Not the presence of a Fraudator Animas, but something else that I couldn't figure out. It was weird. I had never felt it before. I went in there everyday to try and find out who it was, and what it was, but could never determine a person, so I stopped going.

Then, in second semester, I was doing rehab in the training room and there was this girl sitting in there that hadn't been there before. I guess it was her first day as a trainer, but she gave me that feeling that I got in Mr. Cruise's class. I remembered her being in that classroom, so I assumed it was her.

Then, that one day, I finally took my chance. The moment she said her name was Amanda, I knew she was one that had a strong soul, a rare thing to find. A soul so strong that no Fraudator Animas could take it so easily, it would be extremely difficult for them to take (strong souls are usually extremely difficult to take, but hers was even more so). A soul so powerful and rare that it could make a Fraudator Animas unbelievably stronger. It would easily be able to make more like it.

Amanda isn't the only one like this. There are others in the world with strong souls, it's just rare to find them. The Fraudator Animas have the ability to make more Fraudator Animas, but it uses up a lot of their strength. With a strong soul, they could make two more Fraudator Animas and still have more strength than they had before they took the strong soul.

There is one way that they can take it with ease. If the person willingly gives it to them. Consciously give it to them. I can't let that happen.

"Jeffrey, it's her. It's that girl, Amanda," I told him in the locker room after I had left the training room. He was on my side at the time.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you talking about Amanda Hicks?" a Junior football player asked me. He had a serious look on his face, like he was about to murder me.

"Yeah, you know her?"

"That's my sister."

I started to get nervous. "Sorry man, I didn't mean any harm," I told him.

He laughed and slapped me on the back. "Oh, it's no problem." He was about to walk away but then turned back towards me. "Hey, you want to take her home for me?"

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He laughed. "I don't mind. One less thing I have to do."

I finally recognized who he was. Odys Hicks. One of the richest people at our school. It wasn't a big deal or anything, except for the fact that he was known for his parties. His parents lets him throw parties and they're supposed to be awesome. I'll probably be able to go next year.

My father told me about the strong souls. They are the one's that need the most protecting, but they're also perfect bait. If someone has a strong soul, they are for sure being targeted by a Fraudator Animas. It makes it easier to find them.

I took her home, got her number, and from then we hung out. And after we hung out for the first time, I actually liked her. She was pretty, happy, and she made me laugh, but there was always sadness in her eyes. I thought it to be because part of her soul was gone, but I soon figured out none of her soul was missing. Something else caused her sorrow.

Overtime, she told me about her last boyfriend. A grade younger. Chris Nathanson (I had finally found him). He misled her and turned out to be a complete douche. I looked for more about their relationship and found out that he had hurt her, ruined her life and destroyed her happiness and her trust in people. But what's strange is that she didn't seem like this when I met her. She seemed like the happiest person and still does, and the sadness in her eyes started to disappear over time, until Caroline. Until all of this...SHIT started happening.

Amanda changed my world.

Years before, in late eighth grade, after I had killed Mr. Nathanson, my childhood best friend, Jeffrey, moved back to HP and started dating some girl I never met before in our grade. I was getting a weird feeling from her, the one that I should kill her. So I did, but I had made a mistake. It was Jeffrey that I was supposed to kill. My subconscious didn't want to believe it was him, so it told me it was her. I was scarred and scared. I had killed an innocent soul. I couldn't live with myself. I told Jeffrey that I knew, but that I wouldn't kill him until he gave me a reason to. He told me he would stay on my side.

Since that incident, I didn't want to fulfill my purpose anymore. But then Amanda changed that, she was my motivation for doing what I do. I wanted to fulfill my purpose to keep her safe. I knew he would try again to get her soul, and wouldn't stop until he got it. When he moved next door to her, I knew that was no coincidence. He manipulated his mom into making her move to the house next door.

That night when he came over for dinner, Caroline texted me that Amanda's family was having the Nathanson's over for dinner. I _knew_ Chris would use this to his advantage and try to take her soul. I went over there with the swords and watched them, made sure he didn't try anything or I would have killed him on the spot. I watched them run onto the balcony. He entranced her. So as soon as they went inside, I climbed onto the balcony and continued to watched.

He manipulated her into wanting him, she almost forgot me, and that destroyed me. I love her more than anything, and I know you don't hear guys say that a lot, but, I do. She's the most amazing person I've ever met. When she smiles, it doesn't just brighten my day, it brightens my world.

He almost tricked her into having sex with him, but she resisted because somewhere in her mind she was still thinking of me. But, his trance was clouding her judgement. They were intimate enough that he could've taken almost all of her soul, but he didn't take any, he _couldn't _take any. Amanda's soul is too strong for him, for anyone.

I saw that he realized this too and he knew that it was time to take drastic measures.

Before he could do it, I texted here to bring her back to reality. She ran into the bathroom. After he had put his clothes on, Chris turned around and looked at me. He walked towards the balcony doors and opened them.

"Nice move, Alexander."

"I had to do something. I wasn't just going to let you do it."

He leaned against the doorway. "You idiot. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have. Well...not yet."

I dropped a sword, pulled him outside and pinned him against the wall with the other sword against his throat. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled, but I knew inside he wasn't happy at all. "I have to let the curse take its toll now."

"No! You can't!" I pushed the blade of the sword closer to his throat. "I won't let you," I hissed. I was one-second away from cutting off his head, like I did to his father...like I did to _his_ father. "Don't make me cut off your head, like I did your father."

He was enraged. His strength came from his anger. He disarmed me, grabbed my throat, and pushed me against the railing to where I could have fallen with a single move from him. "It was you, I should have known! I should have known that your lazy father would have you do his bidding for him."

"I found your father myself, and let me tell you..." At that moment, I pushed him back and quickly got the swords. When I got into attack position, he was also doing the same. "Your father was weak, just as you are. He _let _me kill him without even a fight."

He laughed. "He wasn't weak. He knew that this day would come for us, he wanted it to happen, and he knew that _you_ would lose. He just wanted to give you the confidence that you could kill someone stronger than you only to have that taken from you when _I_ kill you."

"You can kill me. I don't care. But I will _not_ let you get the chance to destroy her again."

He laughed again. "Did you not just see what happened in there? I almost had _sex_ with _your_ girlfriend. I think I'm already on that path to her destruction, don't you think?"

I shook my head. "No, you're not, because she no longer loves you. And once that's gone, that love she had for you, it's _never_ coming back."

He paused. "Did you not just _see_ what happened in there?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I did. You entranced her. That wasn't real."

"And that's where you're wrong… I _didn't_ entrance her. That was _all _her."

My eyes widened. "You're lying!"

He laughed. "I wish I was. Actually, I don't wish that… So you see, I can easily take her away from you. There's still love there, between us. Don't deny it, Alexander. You saw it with your own eyes."

"If she loved you, if that was still the case, she would've done it with you, but she didn't, so I'm still the one she wants. She loves me now."

He looked at me with jealousy, then started to walk back to the door, but stopped. "_I_ still love her," he spoke with his back to me.

"So do I. You had your chance, Chris. You're done. Now your only path is to take her soul by force. She will never willingly give her soul to you. But, no matter what you do, you will lose her in the end."

"Not if I can help it." He smiled then walked back in, but before he closed the door he turned to me once more. "If I lose her, so will you." He closed the door and shut the curtains.

Wait… I don't just love her… I'm _IN _love with her!

What sucks about that is I know how this will all end, and Amanda isn't gonna like it, but I hope she understands that it's to save others, but mostly her. I don't care about the others. I just want to know that I saved her from Chris. That I gave her my all, even all the love I have for, and saved her life.

The night Caroline died was a huge mistake. I had told her about Chris at the beginning of the summer and started to train her to help me fight him. When I told her about what happened between her and Chris that night, she flipped. She wanted to get rid of him then, but I kept telling her that she wasn't ready and it wasn't time yet, but she didn't listen. That night, the night before the first day of school, she called me and told me what she was going to do. I tried to tell her she was making a huge mistake, but she hung up before I could say a word. I tried to call her over and over again, but she wouldn't answer. I finally texted her, "**You're going to regret this.**" Later that night, Jeffrey called me and told me what happened, including that he had hit her with his car. I drove to the place he had told me where she was and found her lying on the sidewalk, passed out. **He** had taken her soul. I knew I couldn't touch her because they'd find my finger prints. I went to the pay-phone across the street and called the police. After that, I drove back home.

I couldn't believe it. Jeffrey, _my _best friend, had joined forces with Chris. I warned him to not give me a reason, but now I have to do it. I _have _to kill my best friend.

After that, Amanda would never talk to me and I thought it was just because of Caroline's murder and she needed space. While she didn't talk to me, I guess I was sort of always out of it. I got her friend killed and I don't think that Amanda would ever forgive me if she knew that it was partially my fault. I did want to tell her the truth, she needed to know, but if I told her, she wouldn't understand.

Then, that night of Homecoming, I knew something was going to happen. It was a perfect time to set the curse on her. When she went to the bathroom, I saw Warren, one of Chris's friends, following her. From what I knew of him, he was childish, careless, and stupid. Chris came and found me. He warned me of Warren. He was also a Fraudator Animas. We ran to find them and found Warren attacking her in the bathroom. I pulled him away from Amanda and he pushed me into a mirror. Chris and him got into a fight. Once Chris had him pinned down, Chris told him off and they ran out.

That made her even more distant. And then she asked me those questions about when she was attacked and the distance between us grew.

It was time for me to get the help of someone else. Nancy. She was close to Chris. I told her, and she accepted it, and I started to train Nancy and told her to trust no on. Somehow, Chris and Jeffrey found out that I had told her. I tried to protect her as much as possible, but I also had to protect Amanda.

Then I finally decided to talk to Amanda about us. I didn't want to be in such a far distance from her anymore. I knew it wasn't about Caroline anymore, or her being attacked, something else was bothering her. So I called bullshit on her lie and she finally came out with it. She believed that I murdered Caroline and attacked her in the bathroom. I couldn't believe it and I knew that I was gonna do as much as I could to change her mind about that before I told her the truth.

After school that day, Jeffrey warned me that Chris had a plan for Nancy, but he wouldn't tell me what it was. I went to Amanda's house that night and warned her that something bad was gonna happen, but she was skeptical and I don't think she believed me (probably still thinking that I was the killer and attacker). Then Nancy got kidnapped and there was nothing I could do.

If I had told Amanda at that period of time, it would've been her instead of Nancy that would've gotten kidnapped. Not only was she not ready to learn the truth, but she would've been at a greater risk than she is now. Chris has backed off, for now. He's conjuring the curse, but I will kill him before he is able to put it on her.

The day Nancy was murdered, Jeffrey came to me in the woods next to Amanda's house. I was watching to make sure they were keeping up their part of the deal. He told me that they had let her go, but I knew that they only did that so they could put on a show for me. In my head I was telling myself that I was gonna stop it before it happened, even though it would've put Amanda in danger, but then he told me that if I did try to stop it, they would do the curse worse than the one that they were already doing on her. I couldn't let that happen. That curse would kill her as soon as they took her soul.

I went to the press conference, and when I saw Amanda there, I knew that I had to get her out just in case they tried anything.

Then that dream happened. It was a prophecy at first, then somehow turned into a horrible dream where I was a killer. And what she _actually_ saw was Chris conjuring up the curse. A curse I will keep him from putting on her, I just have to make sure he stays away from her.

I asked her to go to Italy with me so that he wouldn't be able to put the curse on her, and I also want to spend as much time with her as I can. But more importantly, it'll be a safer place to tell her. That day in the garden, Jeffrey was there, watching us. Warning me.

Now here I am. Taking Amanda to Italy. I had already told her the story, but she doesn't know yet that it's true.

I was sent here to save souls, but I think my true destiny was hers.


	10. A Very Italian Christmas

**Monday, November 21****st**

Alexander told me that Montepulciano has been a city run by his family for centuries, the one from the story.

We were driving in a car and he said it would take about an hour till be get to the city (if you can call it that). I didn't know what to expect. This whole month Alexander and I talked about it, but I never _actually_ went and looked up the city. I wanted it to be a surprise.

We finally reached the city. It rested at the top of a big hill. The city was surrounded by walls. It looked like it was a Medieval Italian city. Everything was stone.

Hm… This all looks so familiar. Like I've seen it before.

I stuck my head out of the window of the black Maserati. Yes, he has a Maserati, but it's only his for Italy. His family is crazy rich, what do you expect?

I looked around like a dog enjoying the ride. "Alexander! This place is beautiful! I feel like it's a place I've seen in my dreams!" I brought my head back into the car and looked at him.

He got awkwardly uncomfortable and began to look forward with embarrassment. "That's because you have seen it somewhere before."

I brought my head back in and looked at him curiously. "Really? Where?"

He coughed. "_New Moon_."

I punched him in the shoulder. "Are you kidding me?! You are _so _a vampire!" I laughed. Being here in Italy, everything that has happened in Dallas suddenly didn't matter anymore.

He laughed and continued to look at his parents in the white Maserati in front of us (don't be surprised). We were following it to the house that was five minutes outside of the city.

"No! Just because that movie was shot here doesn't mean it's true! God, you've gotta stop believing everything you see in movies." I took that as him calling me stupid. He looked at me and saw that I "wasn't happy". He nudged my arm and smiled at me when I looked up at him. "Amanda, I brought you to Italy. There's no reason for you to be so unhappy in a place like this!"

I didn't have my seatbelt on so I got on my knees on the seat and then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "This'll be the best trip of my entire life!"

He got quiet. Something was wrong, and I think it was about what I just said.

For the rest of the ride to the house, we were silent, so I read my book that I had to read for school, _The Crucible_.

"We're here," he shook me awake. I must've fallen asleep.

"How long was I asleep?"

He looked at the clock on the dashboard. "Only a couple of minutes."

I looked up and out the window. "You've got to be kidding me!" I quickly rolled down the window and stuck my head out of it. "This is where we're staying?!"

The house was Tuscan style; a mansion, probably three times the size of mine! The driveway was a circle surrounding a massive fountain that had a statue on it, but of what, I don't know.

"Which side of your family owns this house?" I asked as I watched Mr. Moretti's left hand push the keys on the keypad to open the front gates.

I looked over to him and he was also watching his dad. "My dad's side. But my mom's side will be around a lot. Their house is on the other side of the city, where the vineyards are." His mom's side owns a winery famous for its grapes.

I looked back at the car in front of us and the gates had opened. They slowly started to drive in between them. "Why is it that they'll be around?"

"I never told you, did I? For centuries my mom's and dad's side have been friends, but none of them ever fell in love, until my mom and dad. And it was good because…" Again, he became silent.

I looked at him. He drove through the gates and through the ginormious driveway. There were trees spread throughout the yard, one of which had a swing, another with a swinging bench. "Because what?"

He didn't speak, there was complete silence shown on his face. I knew he was probably going to wait till the time was right to tell me anything, like the things he's been sketchy about this whole car ride.

"Fine. But you will end up telling me, eventually."

He stopped in front of the house behind his parents' car. They got out and started getting their luggage out of the back. We did the same with our car.

Alexander got out is black luggage that rolled then I got out my Louis Vuitton bag that had my five days worth of clothes in it.

I noticed that Alexander was happy again, especially since he held my left hand as we walked up the steps to the ten foot glass door with metal working on it. I started to notice the age of the house. The main part was old, and I could tell what things were added on.

"Alessandro!" An old woman, probably his grandmother, came running out of the front door towards Alexander. Alexander let go of his bag then let go of my hand so he could hug her.

"Ciao nonna."

She started rambling in Italian and kept looking at me and smiling and kept touching me on my arm and shoulder, and one time she grabbed my face.

"Alexander? Can you please fill me in?" I was able to get through as she squished my cheeks between her hands.

He laughed. "She's talking about you. She said that she's glad to finally get to meet you after all this talk about you. She's glad you're here and she can't wait to get to know more about you. And she says you're beautiful and you truly do live up to your name's meaning."

"My name's meaning?"

"It's Latin for 'she who must be loved'."

My eyes widened with surprise. Alexander took my hand again when his grandmother started waving us to come inside.

The inside of the house was simply breathtaking! The ceiling went all the way to the roof. I couldn't believe any of it. The house was so beautiful, I couldn't describe it.

A woman that I guessed was Alexander's aunt came up to us. First she hugged Alexander then she took my hands and shook them. "Welcome Amanda. I'm Mirabella, Alexander's aunt, his father's sister. Let me show you to your rooms." We followed her towards a grand staircase lined with gold, but I stopped when I saw the white grand piano.

"Oh my God!" I ran up to it and sat down on the bench. The keys felt soft.

"You play?" Mirabella asked as she walked up with Alexander.

"Play is an understatement. Show her Amanda," Alexander informed her.

I began to do complicated scales up and down the keys.

"Play that song that I like to hear you play," Alexander requested. "My favorite song that you play."

I began to play "Moonlight Sonata". It was the song I am to play at the Christmas recital. I've played it so much, because Alexander is always asking me to play it for him, that I could play it with almost no mistakes.

When I was done, they both started clapping. "Wow Amanda! You're really good!" Mirabella complimented me.

We followed her up the grand staircase.

"You and Alessandro will be sleeping in the west wing on the second floor. Since we have so much family, we had to make each wing like its own home."

I didn't understand what she meant until we reached the white double doors. When she opened them, I believed that I was in a five star hotel suite at Trump Tower. The room looked as if it had been created from gold. We had a living room with a TV, couch, chairs. There was a small bar with a mini fridge. Two doors in the living room led to a balcony. I saw that on the balcony was a small table with two chairs. On the left wall of the room was a single door, as for the right wall.

Mirabella pointed at each door. "You each get your own rooms and bathrooms. There's snacks and drinks at the bar. Dinner is at six-thirty, so both of you can go explore Montepulciano until then." She said goodbye and left us alone.

Alexander walked to his room and I walked to mine in silence.

My room was a light pink with some green. I unpacked everything and organized my stuff in the room to my liking.

In one of the drawers, I found a box of matches with the Moretti name on them. "These might come in handy."

There was a knock on my door. I opened it and standing there was Alexander.

"Alexander, are you ready to…" He grabs me and starts kissing me. I jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. He walks us over to the bed where he sits down and I'm in his lap. We kiss passionately, but it soon takes a sudden left turn. "Wait, Alexander, I can't do this. Not now."

He gets angry and throws me onto the bed and walks to the door. "So you can with Chris but not me?" He paused but then corrected himself. "I mean almost with him." He shot me a horrible look, one of hate. A look he has never given me before. I turned my face from it.

I was shocked and there was no hiding that from him. "How'd you know?" I couldn't look him in the eyes as I spoke about this to him. For the first time, I was the one ashamed.

"I know a lot more than you think I do." He turned to me. "So yes, I know everything."

"Alexander..."

"No, don't give me an excuse! Just tell me one thing." He came and sat next to me, but wouldn't look at me. "Why would you?"

I shook my head. "I-I don't know. Something came over me. I couldn't help it. But Alexander, I want you to know something…" I turned his face towards me. "All feelings I had leftover for him disappeared after that. Then, everything became you, and nothing was going to change that, not even Chris. Why do you think I've stayed around so long after everything that's happened? After what my mind kept telling me! 'It's Alexander! He killed Caroline! He attacked you! He kidnapped and murdered Nancy! HE'S COME TO KILL US…...all.'" I had to catch my breath. "And here we are now. In Italy. I'm in Italy with _you_, not Chris or anybody else. You. So don't you think for one-second that it's not you that I want."

Alexander smiled and kissed me. "You know, there's not much to see in Montepulciano. It's mainly churches and plazas."

I shook my head. "I don't care. I want to see it all!"

We had seen all there was too see. It was beautiful, so historic. There were some things created by his ancestors. The name Moretti was on almost everything.

Alexander and I sat at a table in one of the plazas eating gelato. "Alexander, I don't understand why you think there's not much to see, it's so amazing! I got to see your roots. This is the best!" I leaned across the small round table and kissed Alexander. He kissed me a little longer.

He looked at his phone once he stopped kissing me. "It's almost six. We better get back."

"Where are we eating?" I asked Alexander.

We walked into the massive kitchen and on a counter were two plates of food waiting for us. "Today you'll only meet my grandmother, my Aunt Mirabella and Uncle Ugo, so we'll be eating on the back porch. You'll get to meet the rest of my family on Thursday at "Thanksgiving"." We took our plates and walked onto the back porch where his parents, grandmother, and aunt and uncle were sitting at a small oval table, watching the sunset.

Montepulciano rest on the top of a large hill, and the house was on the slope of the hill so we had a perfect view of the sunset.

"Ah, Amanda and Alessandro! Come, sit, eat," Mrs. Moretti said to us.

We sat down between Mr. Moretti and Mirabella.

"Amanda, this is my brother, Uncle Ugo," Mr. Moretti said to me. I shook hands with Uncle Ugo. He looked a little like Mr. Moretti, so did Mirabella.

"So, Amanda, how was the city?" Uncle Ugo asked me.

"It was beautiful! I had never seen something so magnificent," I exclaimed.

The Morettis started getting excited. Nonna started talking to me in Italian. Mirabella translated. "She's glad to know that someone from the outside sees our city that way."

The rest of dinner we talked about their family. Mr. Moretti had five siblings, so there was five of them total. Fur boys and two girls. Mr. Moretti was the third oldest behind the two girls. But two years ago, he became the second oldest when the oldest girl, Genoveffa, was killed. How, they didn't say and I didn't ask.

**Tuesday, November 22****nd**

I awoke the next morning to the sun trying to come through the cracks in my curtains. I also awoke to Alexander lying next to me, asleep.

No, we didn't do it. We fell asleep watching a movie.

"Alexander, wake up," I nudged him. He slowly opened his eyes, then smiled.

"Today's going to be a good day, I know it," he yawned.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I woke-up to your face." He kissed me. I hope I don't have morning breath. Then he jumped up out of bed. "And we're going to Rome today!"

I jumped out of bed. "Then we better get ready… Get out!" I pushed him out the door. I was about to slam the door in his face when I stopped to ask, "What should I wear?"

"Well, it's pretty chilly outside, so wear something warm."

First, I took a shower and brushed my teeth and did my hair. Then I got dressed in a navy long-sleeved shirt (if that's what you call it) and put on a black Columbia jacket over it. I wore dark skinny jeans and wore Uggs over them.

I walked out of the room to see Alexander, wearing long jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a jacket on, out on the balcony with a cup of coffee in his hand. He had a weird look on his face.

I walked out onto the balcony but he didn't hear me walk up. I put my hand on his shoulder and he flinched at my touch. "Alexander, is everything okay?"

He nodded and put on a fake smile. "Yeah. Everything is fine." He put his right arm around my shoulders and took another sip of his coffee. "Amanda, do you ever fear that the last sunrise or sunset you saw will be the last one you ever saw? And you don't even remember it because it was so long ago."

"I don't understand." What a strange question to ask.

"Forget it," he walked away and back inside. I stood outside on the balcony and looked out over the area surrounding Montepulciano. "Come on Amanda. They'll be waiting."

We first stopped at the Colosseum. I couldn't believe how big it was! The architecture was extraordinary. We walked around in the inside. Alexander told me that a lot of the colosseum was gone because in the Middle Ages, people stripped it of its marble and nature also takes a large part in its deterioration. Next to the Colosseum was the Arch of Constantine.

Next we went to the Roman Forum which was the heart of Roman civilization. It was all ruins now, but I could still imagine its beauty in my mind.

Our trip through Rome was fun because is family let us go off on our own. We acted like I was in a big group of tourist and he was my tour guide. It was hilarious, especially since people looked at us as if we were crazy. To travel through the city, we rode on a moped. After the forum we went to this massive building that was a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II and rode in the glass elevator to the observation deck. Next we went to Vatican City and toured the church for about an hour. I got to see the Sistine Chapel! Oh God, it was gorgeous! I can't imagine how Michelangelo did it.

We went to the Pantheon then to the Trevi Fountain where we met up with his family. It was six o' clock,

"Alessandro, you and Amanda get together for pictures," Mrs. Moretti demanded.

Alexander grabs my right hand and puts a coin in it. "Throw it over your shoulder and wish for something," he whispered in my ear.

"But I already have you," I told him.

He laughed. "Then wish for something other than me."

We got in our ready positions to throw the coins for the picture. Mrs. Moretti had her camera up, ready to countdown. "Okay. On the count of three. Uno...due...tre!"

I throw my coin in, but Alexander is suddenly kissing my cheek when Mrs. Moretti takes the picture. She starts to look at the picture.

"Did you throw yours in?" I asked Alexander.

"No."

"Amanda, come see it!" Mrs. Moretti calls us over. I look at the picture and it was perfect. My right arm is up from me throwing the coin, which you can see midair, Alexander is kissing my left cheek, and my face is just lit up with surprise. We all break out in laughter. "Amanda, now you will return to Rome."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"If you throw a coin into the fountain, it means you'll return to Rome," Alexander answered.

"Why didn't you throw one in?" I asked him, finding it curious that he hadn't.

Before he could answer, the rest of our group came up to the three of us.

"It's dinner time, so either you and Amanda can eat with us, or you can finish touring and find something to eat yourselves then meet back at the bus," Mr. Moretti laid out.

Alexander looked at me and smiled. "I'm not done showing her Rome." He looks back up at his dad. "Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Yes, but that's all you've got," Mirabella laughed.

After we left the fountain, Alexander took me to the Piazza Navona where there were just the most beautiful fountains.

"Okay Amanda, I have one last place to show you." We went into a little restaurant and picked up dinner, me getting gnocchi alla romana. Alexander then drove us to the Spanish steps. As we walked towards the steps, Alexander said, "I like this place because it's fun to sit on the steps and people watch. And if you get thirsty," he pointed at a fountain that looked like a sunken ship, "you can drink from that fountain."

"No way!" I handed Alexander my box of food and ran to the fountain. There was a little platform that you could step on to get a drink from the water flowing out of the boat. It tasted amazing. Like purified water. I ran back to Alexander who was already sitting on the steps.

"How was it?" he asked with a smile.

"Amazing!" I exclaimed.

We sat on the steps eating our dinner and occasionally making comments about the strange people we saw. By the time we had finished eating, the sun was starting to set. Alexander mysteriously got up and left me sitting on the steps by myself. When he came back, he was holding two small cups of pink gelato. He handed me one of them.

We sat silently eating our gelato until Alexander finally broke the silence. "It's time for us to get back." We got up and he started walked down the steps, but I stopped him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I lean in and kiss him. "Thank you for today."

**Wednesday, November 23****rd**

"So, Alessandro, where do we go today?" I asked as I walked into our own living room. Alexander was sitting on the couch.

"Today we go to my mom's family's house and winery."

"Is it as massive as this house?"

He hesitated. "Um...not quite."

The house. It wasn't a mansion, but it was long, Tuscan style, and looked almost like a cottage. I liked it. I want to live in a cottage when I'm older.

"Rosabel!" a chubby man exclaimed as he came out of the house. He hugged Mrs. Moretti then everyone else.

"Uncle Georgio, this is Amanda," Alexander introduced me. Uncle Georgio hugged me, then led us all inside. I was then introduced to his wife, Karisa. We were taken to a table outside where we had lunch.

I learned that Mrs. Moretti has two older sisters and Uncle Georgio is her younger brother that runs the winery. Their mother and father was killed in a car accident when Mrs. Moretti was fifteen years old.

After lunch Alexander took my exploring through the winery and the vineyards. It was miles upon miles of vines and grapes, but before we got lost in that, he took me to a large building. Inside it was a massive ballroom.

"This is where we will have the ball tomorrow."

"Ball?!" I exclaimed. He didn't tell about this.

"Yeah. We have it every year and invite our whole family and all of our friends."

"Alexander, I don't have a dress for that!" He obviously didn't understand my distress.

He laughed. "Don't worry! My mom, Mirabella, and my grandmother will take you dress shopping tomorrow." He hugged me and kissed my head. "But you could come in shorts and a shirt and still look the most beautiful in the room."

I pushed him away, jokingly. "Suck-up."

He then took my hand and started leading me towards a door. "Let me show the wine cellar."

We walked through an industrial-sized kitchen to a door that led us to a winding staircase that went down into the wine cellar. It looked as if it went on forever.

Alexander led me to a room where there was a dinner table and racks of wine bottles surrounded it. "This is where people can have dinner."

He continued to lead me through the rows of wine and wine caskets, until I tripped on something.

"Ow!" I sat on the ground holding my ankle. I looked to see what I tripped on and saw that is was a book. I picked it up and opened it to a random page and started flipping through it, until something caught my eye. "Hey, it's my bracelet!" I pointed at a picture that had my silver snake bracelet that he had given me.

"What?!" Alexander took my arm in a panic. He lifted up the sleeve to reveal the bracelet. It looked as if it was the first time he had seen it. "No! Amanda! What have you done?"

"Alexander, what are you talking about?" I tried to read what was written in the book, but it was in Latin...I think.

Alexander got up in a fury and ran away to where I think was the staircase. I chased after him. "Alexander! Stop!" I followed him through the kitchen and out of the building into the vineyard. He just kept running faster. I lost him. I continued to run straight until I reached a clearing in the middle of the vineyard where Alexander was on his knees with his face in his hands. The sky above us was becoming dark. A familiar smell from my childhood was in the air. The smell of rain. Winter rain. I slowly walked towards Alexander, but he suddenly screamed out at the sky, "Perché Dio?! Perché?!" Rain began to fall to the ground, and his head fell back into his hands. I walked up to Alexander and got on my knees in front of him.

"Alexander." I put my right hand on his shoulder, but he quickly grabbed my arm and brought it to his view.

"When did you get this bracelet?"

"Uh…the day you invited me to come Italy. Right after I asked my parents. I got it from you, and I haven't taken it off since, but that's mainly because I completely forgot I was wearing it." I half-laughed.

He still hasn't looked at me. "There's a reason for that," he said in anger. With one quick move, he turns my arm over to show four inches of the snake was in my skin, starting with the head.

"Oh my God!" I immediately tried to take the bracelet off, but I was suddenly in excruciating pain.

"Stop!" He grabbed my left arm and kept it from touching the bracelet.

"Alexander, why would you give me this?"

"I did no such thing," he hissed.

I was confused, and in pain. "Then who did?"

"Chris." For the first time, he looked at me.

I shook my head in disbelief, in denial. "No. That's not possible."

"Think Amanda! You know it makes sense."

I thought about it, but none of it made sense. Why would he kill his own sister? Caroline? I just couldn't make sense of it. "No, Alexander, I don't."

"Then I'll make it for you."

He told me everything. Everything. Fraudator Animas. The story of his family was real. Chris killed Caroline. Jeffrey hit her with his car. Warren attacked me. Jeffrey kidnapped and killed Nancy. The bracelet was from Chris.

Genoveffa, she was killed by a Fraudator Animas when she was trying to kill one to save her son.

"What's the meaning of the snake?"

We sat across from each other in the middle of the ballroom. We were wrapped in towels and blankets.

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that you've been marked."

"Marked for what?"

He was silent for a second. "I don't know." He looked sad.

I grabbed his face and kissed him. "Alexander, I'm so glad that it isn't you."

He smiled and kissed me.

**Thursday, November 24****th**

I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Amanda thinking time. I then looked at the snake. I could tell a little more had gone into my skin since yesterday. There had to be a reason he was so distraught about the bracelet, and my answer wasn't going to come from him, but from that book.

"Get up! It's twelve o' clock!" Mirabella barged into my room. I looked at my phone and she was right. I didn't realize it was so late in the day. She opened the curtains and the sun burned my eyes. "We're going dress shopping! Take shower, do your hair, but don't do your makeup, and then meet us downstairs."

Before I got in the shower, I tried to take the bracelet off, but it only hurt. I did the usual morning routine with the addition of actually straightening my hair, which I haven't done since I've been here. It's looked pretty natural. When I went downstairs, Nonna, Mirabella, and Mrs. Moretti were waiting.

"Ah, Amanda! You look so pretty!" Mrs. Moretti exclaimed.

I let Mrs. Moretti and Mirabella do my makeup and hair after they had finished doing theirs. They gave me long waves and did my makeup really pretty. My dress was a black floor-length dress. The neckline was sweetheart, sleeveless. Mid-torso was this design with diamonds that silhouetted the neckline. The gown part was consisted of that fabric that made it poof out a little.

"Now for jewelry." Mrs. Moretti walked away and went to a jewelry box.

Mirabella grabbed my arm. "Let's take off this snake bracelet."

"No!" I exclaimed.

She looked at me weird, then there was a sudden panic in her eyes. She turned my arm over and saw the snake in my wrist and gasped. Her hand covered her mouth and her eyes widened as she looked at me. Terror in her eyes. She turned my arm back over and acted like she didn't see it.

Okay, this bracelet definitely means something more than me being marked. Alexander's reaction...and not Mirabella's?! I _definitely_ have to find out now.

Mrs. Moretti handed me some dangle diamond earrings and a diamond necklace.

"I think it's time for us to go," Mirabella informed us with a smile.

The ballroom had been completely transformed since I saw it yesterday. There was a stage with a band and round tables that surrounded the massive dance floor that was located in the middle of the room. In front of the stage was a long table where I assumed was where Mr. and Mrs. Moretti's family would sit.

"Amanda?"

I turn around to see Alexander wearing a black tuxedo with a white bow tie. "Alexander, you look…" He suddenly grabs me and kisses me.

"You look beautiful Amanda." He grabbed my hand and led me to the long table where he introduced me to the rest of his family. It was overwhelming. I met Mirabella's husband and children and Ugo's wife and children. I met the rest of the Morettis and Mrs. Moretti's two older sisters and their husbands' and children.

The night went on. We danced a couple of times and dinner was fantastic. It was truly Thanksgiving times a hundred. The Morettis let Alexander and I have glass after glass of champagne that came from the Mrs. Moretti's family's winery. It was quite amazing.

The band took a break and "Undisclosed Desires" by Muse started playing.

"I hope you know how to tango," Alexander told me as he stood up and held his hand out.

"Alexander, I don't know how to tango! And also..." I giggled, "I think I might be a little tipsy." My giggle turned into a laugh. "Okay...I'm way past that."

He laughed. "It's easy. Just follow me."

I took his hand and he took me to the middle of the dance floor. I followed his every move, and it suddenly started coming to me naturally. The dance was steamy, sexy. He was dipping me, bringing us so close together that I had to resist the urge to kiss him. Like me, he knew the words to the song. He whispered it into my ear just like the song does if you listen closely to it. Him whispering it to me was almost as if he was literally talking to me.

When the song came to the part where its only instrumental, I couldn't take it anymore! "Alexander. Take me to the cellar," I whispered in his ear.

He knew exactly what I meant. "Are you sure?"

I nodded.

He took my hand and led me to the kitchen where we started running for the cellar door. We went down the stairs where he then led me to the room with the table. We stood in the open doorway staring at each other. The look of sexual want was in our eyes. The kissing is passionate. We can't control ourselves. I'm taking off his clothes until all that's left is his pants. He turns me around and unzips my dress, kissing my neck in the process, and then I'm wearing nothing but my black strapless bra and my black underwear. He turns me back around, and before he can start kissing me again, I stop him. "I don't do oral."

He laughs. "Good because neither do I!"

We take this to the table.

**Friday, November 25****th**

Today we leave Italy. Tomorrow the football plays its third round in the playoffs.

I awake on the floor in Alexander's arms. There are blankets on us that Alexander had gotten from a closet that's in the cellar. I take one of them, wrap it around me, and walk to where Alexander's pants are. I reach in his pocket for his phone. Its eight o' clock. I remember the book.

Now I know what you must be thinking. Did we use protection? Well of course! I'm on birth control and have been for a year now (speaking of, I need to renew my prescription). Not because I'm "sexually active", which I'm not, but because I used to have bad acne and it helped get rid of it. And Alexander used a condom which for sure did not break. So I don't think I'll be getting pregnant any time soon.

I look back at Alexander to see he's still asleep. I take his phone and go to where I remember the book being. When I find it, I open the translator app Alexander has on his phone. I find the page with the picture of my bracelet. I start typing in what's on the page, but it can't translate it.

"That won't help you," Alexander voice says from behind me. I turn around and see he's in the process of zipping up his pants.

"Tell me the truth. What is this?"

He sits down next to me. "The day I picked you up from the police station, and I got angry at you for looking at your palms, I thought you had the snake curse, as we call it. I thought you had gotten the ring and saw the snake moving through your palm towards your wrist. That green smoke you saw at the Nathanson's was Chris conjuring the curse."

"And what is the curse?"

He starts explaining it to me using his arms. "Since you got the bracelet, the snake will travel through your arm to your elbow and wrap around it. That's when you will be given your first trial. Someone will come after you. If you defeat them, then it will the travel to your shoulder and wrap there. Second trial. Defeat them and it goes to your neck. There, the snake will slowly wrap itself around your neck, and Chris will come after you and try to take your soul. In some cases, if the Fraudator Animas is still alive and hasn't taken the soul by the time the snake fully wraps itself around the neck, it will actually start choking you, making it easier for the Fraudator Animas to defeat you and take your soul. But the snake isn't only something to show time, it also weakens you as it gets closer and closer to your neck. So now I have to start training you and make you stronger now that you know the truth. You can't be weak when they come after you, and I can't help you."

"Who is they?"  
"I don't know… It could be anybody."

"So I'm just supposed to fight them _and_ Chris and try to win?"

He shook his head. "No...I fight Chris...I kill Chris."


	11. Cold As Ice

I knew him already. Chris. Since elementary school to be more exact. We never actually talked before, though, so it was weird when he randomly came up to Caroline and I at the mall food court.

"Hey," he said when he sat down in one swift movement.

Together, Caroline and I gave him weird looks. "Um...hi?"

"You're Amanda Hicks, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Chris Nathanson. I've known you since like elementary school."

"Well, Amanda, will you do me a favor?" he asked me.

I looked at Caroline who's telling me to say no.

"Depends on the favor," I answered.

"Kiss me."

Caroline broke out laughing.

"What?"

He looked nervous. "My friends bet me that I couldn't get you to kiss me."

"Well that's a stupid bet. And, why me? Why not Caroline?" I pointed at her.

"Because they chose you."

I decided I was gonna have a little fun after this. "Can I slap you afterwards?"

He looked hesitant. "Fine." He then kissed me. Caroline started laughing. When we pulled back, I slapped him. From twenty feet away, I heard some guys oohing.

After that day, he got my number and we started texting and hung out. Then he asked me out.

For two months we dated. Meeting each other at every football game (this was before I became a trainer). But it all started going downhill. He was in middle school, I was in high school. Our friend groups didn't mesh.

November. He started to become a huge douchebag. At the games, he'd treat me like crap. He act like I wasn't there, as if we weren't dating, and that made me angry. I'd freak out on him, which I now know made me look like a crazy bitch, and we'd either take a break or "break-up", but then we'd get back together.

There was this one day, before school started, that he texted me how much of a bitch I was (which I know now is true) and that he wanted us to end it, and I had to leave school by second period because I couldn't stop crying. Next thing I know, he's texting me as if what he texted me had never happened. He kept treating me like a ball of yarn; something he could unwind and wind back up whenever he wanted. I couldn't take it anymore.

Now here's the best part. Mid-November, my dog dies and right after I tell him, he breaks-up with me, for good. He gives me this bullshit response that it's because he can't take _my _emotional torment anymore! And when I go to make my Facebook status from 'in a relationship' to 'single' (he never accepted my request to say that we were dating each other, he just had his as 'in a relationship' too), when I notice that his relationship status now says 'in a relationship...WITH JENNIFER GARDNER'! Are you fucking kidding me?!

At first, I was torn, I actually cried, but then I decided I wasn't going to let him get away with this. I was going to get revenge.

Since his birthday was coming up, I thought I'd give him a little present. That present evolved into something better when I found out that he was renting out the House of Blues for his birthday.

The night of his party, I went to the House of Blues. I snuck in through the back door and found the band on a break in their dressing room.

"What are you doing in here?" one of the members asked me as he took a sip from a bottle of whiskey.

"I was wondering if y'all could help me get back at my cheating boyfriend who broke up with me on the day my dog died?" That was sure to get them...and I was right. They felt my pain. Being cheated on by someone and having a pet you love dearly die.

When the band went on stage, I walked on stage too.

The lead singer then informed the crowd, "We have a special treat for Chris. His girlfriend," he paused and winked at me. "Amanda, will be singing a special song for Chris for his birthday." The singer lets me get the front mic.

I put on my sarcastic smile. "Chris, this is for the three _great _months we've had together. Happy birthday."

The band starts playing "Cold as Ice" by Foreigner with me singing lead vocals. As I sang, I began to imagine everyone, meaning Chris's friends, singing along and dancing. It was like something from _High School Musical_, except this song was payback.

As the song began to end, I walked off the stage, still singing, and walked towards Chris. When I reached him, I stopped singing but the band continued, and I gave Chris a small kiss on the lips.

I put my mouth to his ear. "If that's not clear enough, I'll happily sing _Leave Me Alone _for you."

I walked out of the bar, not looking back.


	12. The Final Countdown

**Sunday, November 27****th**

You know what sucks. Losing. We lost in the third round of the playoffs.

It was the Sunday after the game. Alexander and I went to church together. I prayed to God to give me the strength to defeat those that were coming after me. The will to kill. I also prayed that none of this was real. I couldn't believe that any of this was happening to me.

"Alexander. Why me? Why does Chris want _my _soul so bad? He dated me for three months. Why didn't he steal it then?" I asked Alexander as we drove in his car back to my house.

"He couldn't get it from you because you have a rare soul. A strong soul. Remember how you told me how he had that bet to kiss you right before you started dating?"

"Yeah?"

"That was a lie. He was trying to take it, but it didn't work. He then realized you had a strong soul, so he saw you as a challenge. Tell me, did you kiss _a lot_? More than necessary?" He was starting to sound like a psychiatrist.

So Chris never _actually_ liked me. He only saw me as a challenge.

I was suddenly surprised. "Yes, how'd you know?"

"Those were his constant attempts to take it. And when he finally figured out that _that_ wasn't going to work, he thought he'd make you emotionally weak and that would make it easier for him to take it. That's why he messed with your head for a month. When you kissed him at his party, he saw that didn't work either. It was time for him to try something else. Intimacy."

"Intimacy? Doesn't that involve sex?"

His tone of voice changed. "What y'all did that day he came over was pretty intimate."

"Are you really going to bring this up again? I thought we were…"

"We are!"

Silence.

"So I'm guessing that intimacy didn't work."

"No. It didn't."

"So what now? What is there left for him to do to me?" I asked.

"Kill you," he said with no emotion.

"What?!" We reached my house.

He pulled into my driveway and turned off the car. He swiftly turned to me. "Death. Dying. It's when a person is at their weakest moment. As you lay there on the ground with your life slowly pouring out of you, you get weaker and weaker and weaker, but that's only physically. While you physically get weaker, your soul becomes stronger. And that's where the curse comes in. It's making your soul weaker which makes you physically weaker in the process. Since you have the curse, when _you_ are dying, your soul will not be able to become stronger. So that's why they used it. It makes it easier for them to take your soul." He sighed. "He'll put you on the brink of death, take your soul, but he'll let you live."

"Why?"

"Because he believes he loves you."

"What a joke!" I laughed. "Now you're supposed to fight Chris. Why doesn't he or you go ahead and fight now?"

"The curse keeps us from doing that. We have to stay with the timeline of the curse, otherwise it's instant death for you and we both lose. I lose you, he loses your soul."

"What if _I_ lose you? I'd rather lose my soul than lose you!"

"No!" He grabbed my arms. "With your soul, these things will be stronger than you can imagine! With your soul, they can make more of them! That's why I can't let him take yours. No matter what, you can't let him take it!" He sighed and let go of my arms. "It'll all be okay in the end. Once I kill him, every soul he has ever taken will be returned, and you'll be safe."

I laughed sarcastically. Safe?! "Safe? You said yourself that Chris isn't the only one of these demons. What happens when another one of these things finds me? Am I supposed to expect you to come be my knight in shinning armor every time I get in trouble?"

He shook his head, but there was something weird about it. "That's why we must train you to become stronger. To fight. To kill. Everyday, even after school. Starting today."

**Saturday, December 17th**

"Ready?" he asked me.

I was in attack position. "Alexander, I'm not so sure about this. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I'm pretty sure Amanda, otherwise I wouldn't want you to be doing this."

I sighed. This was a bad idea.

I go in for a punch to the left side of his face with my right fist. He blocks with his left arm and grabs my arm with his right hand, leaving his stomach open, which anyone would expect. So I kick him in the nuts.

"Amanda!" he moaned as he rolled on the floor with his hands between his legs.

"I told you Alexander. And you taught me to think like my enemy, examine my enemy, and do the unexpected." I knelt down next to him and start laughing. "Do you want me to get you some ice?"

He was still groaning in pain. "Yes please."

I run up the hill to the house still laughing. I opened the back door into the kitchen.

For almost three weeks he's been training me. Teaching me how to fight hand-to-hand combat, fight using knives, and fight using the swords. I'm picking it up pretty fast. Having an older brother really helped.

I got a zip-lock baggie and filled it with ice. Trainer skills.

"Amanda."  
I turn around and scream. "Chris? Get away from me!" He's standing five feet away from me.

He steps closer to me. "So I see he's been training you."  
I looked at him, just not in the eyes. "Yeah."

"And I'm guessing you know the truth." He was staring at my right hand which was reaching for the drawer filled with knives. My left hand was prepared to throw the bag of ice at him as a distraction.

"What are you doing here?"

"I've come to give you an alternate choice."

"Did I ever have a choice in the first place?"

He shook off what I said and kept talking. "Just surrender it to me…"

"Never!"

He ignored my answer. "And all this won't have to end in tragedy."

What was he talking about? "Tragedy? You're death won't be a tragedy."

"Alexander's death."

I was shocked. "What are you talking about?"

"The curse says that since Alexander is fighting me, he dies, whether I die or not. I die, he dies. I live, he dies."

"You're lying!"

Next thing I know, he's pinning me against the refrigerator. I drop the bag of ice. "Amanda, just give it to me. Surrender it to me. Be forever mine, and Alexander will get to live!"

That's when I realized it. When he takes a girl's soul, she becomes...what's the word? They use it in _Vampire Diaries _a lot. Sired! "Grace," I spoke softly.

He spat at the sound of her name. "What about that pitiful girl?"

"You took her soul! You destroyed her! That's why she's obsessed with you. That's why she's such a bitch."

He smiles but he looks serious at the same time. "Don't worry, that last part won't happen to you."

"I will never let any of that happen to me! I will never be yours, willing or unwilling! If you kill Alexander, I will kill myself before you get the chance to take my soul."

"You will be mine, Amanda."

"Amanda?"

I turn my head to see Alexander at the back door. "Alexander! Chris…" I turn to see that he's gone. I ran to Alexander and hugged him. "He was here."

"I figured when it was taking you longer than usual to make an ice pack." He hugged me tighter. "Are you okay?"

"No."

He let go of me and gave me a confused look. "What's wrong?"

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you die no matter what when you fight him?"

Heartache. That's what I saw in his eyes. "Amanda…"

I walked away to the counter behind me and banged on it. Everything suddenly made sense. Him not tossing the coin. The sunset and sunrise. "I won't let you fight him."

"I don't have any other choice Amanda."

"There's always a choice!"

He came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Chris will still come after you if I don't."

"Let him! I'll fight him, I'll kill him."

He grabs ahold of both of my shoulders and turns me around. "Then you'll die!" He hesitated for a second. "If you fight him Amanda, you won't survive, not in the condition that you're in."

"I'm fine."

He shook his head. "No, you're not. I can see it. I can tell. I see you getting weaker and weaker everyday for the past three weeks. Training and working out is helping you get back some of that strength, but you're still weak." He paused. "You're not fighting Chris, Amanda."

"And neither are you, Alexander. Now that you''ll for sure die"

"Amanda, there's no stopping me from doing this."

"How about if you go fight him, I'll go ahead and give him my soul."

He looked at me, silent, with anger in his eyes. "Fine. You win." He paused. "I'll try to find a third party to kill Chris, but, to ensure your safety the night of the fight, I want you to be somewhere safe, where no one can find you. A place that you're familiar with."

There was only one place that came in mind. A place from my childhood. "The Dallas Arboretum."

He nodded in agreement.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was from Elaine. "Alexander, I don't mean to be like this, but I'm not losing you. Now I've got to go."

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"The girls and I are going to a movie. I'll see you later, I promise." I kiss him on the cheek, but he grabs me and kisses me on the lips.

"Be careful." He grabbed my right arm and showed me the snake. It was wrapping around my elbow, almost complete. "Take a weapon just in case. Hide it in your purse."

It was only five o' clock when we got out of the movie, so we all agreed to go to my house and hang out. On our way there, we started talking that we should invite a bunch of other girls over tonight and have a huge sleepover at my house in the playroom in honor of it being Christmas break.

While I was driving, everyone was calling the other girls. The car was filled with their voices talking to other girls on the phone. There'd be a usual let's invite this person or don't invite that person.

Suddenly, my elbow is in terrible pain.

_BANG! _Someone from behind me hits my car and causes me to drive off the road, thankfully not hitting the tree five feet in front of my car.

"Is everyone okay?" I turn to look at everyone to see that they're all passed out. I shake Courtney who is sitting in the passenger seat, but she doesn't wake up. None of them look hurt. What's weird is that we weren't hit hard enough for the air bags to go off or for anyone to hit something hard enough that they pass out.

Someone opens my door. Havoca. Her eyes are red. "Hello Amanda." She grabs me with one hand by the shoulder and throws me onto the street.

Once I regained my strength, I stood up. "I should have known you'd be one. Especially since you cause so much turmoil for everyone."

She laughs. "It's my job, it's my name. Now...let's get this over with. I want to be the one to tell your little boyfriend how I gave Chris your soul and how I killed you."

I ran after her, and she starts running for the tree, in the same direction that I'm running, where she jumps up, bounces off the trunk, and kicks me in the face. I land on the ground, clutching my face. "Shit! You bitch!"

She laughs. "Is that all you've got Amanda? I at least want to have _some_ fun out of this."

As I'm on the ground, I feel around for a stick of some sort. When I finally find one that's pretty thick and sharp, I get up. This time, she runs after me. I stand there, not moving, hiding the stick behind my back. When she's two feet away from me, I put the stick out so that she runs into it, piercing her heart. She falls on the ground. I quickly run to the car and get the biggest knife I could find in the kitchen out of my purse. I take the cover off of it and go back to where Havoca is still trying to compose herself.

She's on her hands and knees now. "What is this? _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_?" She pulls the stick out of her heart. "Did you really not know that stabbing our heart doesn't kill us?"

They technically don't have hearts according to Alexander. "No. I knew." I kick her in the face and she goes flying back and lands or her back. "It was just a little something to distract and temporarily occupy you." I walk over to her. "Havoca. Unlike me, no one will miss you. You're a soulless _bitch_ that no one likes or cares for. That's why I'm going to _let_ the police find your dead body so everyone can cheer when they hear that you're dead. And there are _so _many people that want you dead that they would never be able to pin a suspect." I stomp on her chest, feeling ribs cracking beneath my foot. "What's really weird is that I'm the one with the curse that's supposed to be weak. Funny how things turn out, huh?" I lift up the knife and stab her twice, once in each lung. Alexander told me that a Fraudator Animas depends on its lungs. It's where it holds the souls they have taken. Kill the lung (if that's how you would put it), kill the demon.

Havoca spits out blood, then she has this blank death look on her face. The red in her eyes never fades away.

"Oh, thank _GOD_!" I exclaim. That bitch needed to die. Nearby I heard a stream, so I pulled Havoca by the arms to the stream where I dumped her in there, letting the water wash away any evidence there is of me on her body. I also cleaned off the knife of blood. The stream ran red.

I walk back to the car and put the cover back on the knife and into my purse just in time before the girls woke up.

"Woah. What happened?" Charlotte moaned.

I sat in the front seat as if I had just woken up. "I think someone hit us," I responded. I get out of the car and walk to the back of it to check for damage. The girls followed behind me.

My car looked fine. There was no damage. It was as if I had never got hit. That's good because I would've killed...oh wait. HAHA!

"Is everyone okay?" Lindsey asks.

We stand outside of the car checking ourselves. Everyone chimes that they're fine. We get back in the car and continue to head to my house.

At six, the sleepover started.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alexander asks me.

I was still so wound up from the fight that I was shaking...WITH EXCITEMENT! "Oh yeah! You should have seen me Alexander. It was awesome! I totally kicked, and killed, her ass!"

"Amanda," he laughs. "I wish I _had_ seen it." He kisses me on the forehead. "Now go back to your friends. They'll be wondering where you are."

**Wednesday, December 21****st**

"I'm so nervous, Alexander. I don't think I can do this!"

Alexander was driving me to my piano recital. I was wearing a red dress with white heals, in honor of Christmas. The recital was to take place in a small auditorium at SMU.

"You're going to do great Amanda! I promise. You've practiced this song a hundred times, not messing it up once. There's nothing you should be nervous about." He looked at my hand that was clenching his in pain. "Just take deep breaths."

I started to take deep breaths. It helped stop my heart from racing.

We reached SMU and walked through the Meadows building to the small auditorium.

"How's your arm?" he asked me as we held hands.

I looked at the snake. The snake was at my shoulder, about to start wrapping. My dress's sleeve just barely covered it. Sometimes, when I'm bored, I'll watch the snake and see it _slowly_ moving. "It's getting there." I still can't believe that no one has noticed it yet.

"How's your strength?"

"The usual. Trying to keep up with getting weaker." I then remembered something. "I've been getting sick quite a lot lately. Is that because of the curse?"

"Most likely."

You're probably wondering about Havoca. Well, they did find her body, and like I said, no one mourned her. Everyone rejoiced, but not out loud. And the police have no suspects or clues. All evidence was washed away. They believe it was drug related because she was notorious for doing drugs and getting caught. She had drugs in her system when they found her, so they think she might've killed herself and the knife went down the stream.

We reached the auditorium. Alexander kissed my head, wished me luck, and went and sat with my parents and brother. I sat in the row with all those that were to play.

The recital started. I was behind seven other kids who were younger than me.

"And now, Ms. Amanda Hicks playing 'Moonlight Sonata'." People clapped.

I get up from my seat and go sit at the piano bench. My heart is racing. I set my hands on the keys. My hands are shaking. I can't seem to start playing. I look out into the crowd and find Alexander who gives me a reassuring smile...oh, his smile! That calms me down. Suddenly, I'm playing. It's like my hands have a mind of their own. I didn't mess up once. When I had finished, the whole room started clapping (not like they didn't for the others). I got up and looked at my family who was clapping and cheering for me the loudest.

The rest of the time I had to sit through three other performances.

After the recital, my family and Alexander came down to the front and talked with me.

"You did so good Amanda," my mom complimented me.

"Amanda?"

I turn around to see a tall man wearing a Marine service uniform. His coat was on, and his hard-framed service cap was under is right arm.

"Amanda Hicks?" he repeats again. He had blonde hair that was pushed back in a cute way. No… It can't be!

"Henry? Henry Hewitt?" I ask.

He smiles at me recognizing him. He puts the cap in his right hand and opens his arms. I fast walk into his arms and he picks me up and swings me around.

"Oh my God! What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"I came to see my niece's piano recital and found you here too." He looks at me, takes in my new appearance since he last saw me, and sighs. I had forgotten how tall he was. Six foot three. "Wow Amanda. Boy have you grown. I haven't seen you since…"

Graduation. His. It was weird thinking about it. I tried hard to push that memory from my mind.

Graduation was the last Saturday of May. The night before, Alexander and I went on our fifth date where we went to the Dallas Arboretum, and Alexander asked me to officially be his girlfriend. The first thing that popped into my head when he asked me was Henry. I had to know. I needed closure. So I told Alexander I'd give him an answer by the end of the next day.

Together, Caroline and I went to Moody colosseum where the graduation ceremony was taking place. I wore a dark purple dress with silver stitching. It went down to my knees and had short short-sleeves. At the waist, it shaped to show off my skinniness. With it, I wore my silver converse.

We found the Hewitts and sat with them. The seating that surrounded the floor of the basketball court that was covered in something blue and had a stage was about thirty feet up. We had front row seats that were directly on the left of Henry. I saw him look towards us with a worried look and then him and I made eye contact and he smiled. When he turned his head forward, he had a look of relief on his face.

"You know, he has been worried all day," his dad softly tells me. I look at him with surprise. "His mom thinks it's about graduation. I think it's because he was afraid you wouldn't show," his dad informed me.

Why would a senior, about to graduate, care whether I was here or not? Yes, we were friends, but it's not like his life will end without me, right? This whole month I've been trying to get over him, but I just couldn't. Not yet at least.

After the graduation ceremony, we all headed for the area outside of the colosseum where there's the mustang statue. It was pretty dark outside.

"Amanda, I swear he only looked at you!" Caroline was trying to convince me that Henry looked at me when he was getting his diploma.

"Whether he did or not, that doesn't mean he likes me."

She turned her attention towards something behind me. "You want closure, well, here's your chance… Henry!" she called out and motioned for him to come over. "You'll thank me later."

I turn around and see him look our way and smile. He finished his conversation with whoever he was talking to and jogged over to me, holding his graduation cap in his hand. When I turn back to Caroline, all I see is her short gold hair disappearing in the crowd.

"See you at the car!" she calls out right before I can no longer see her.

I turn back towards Henry and he was already standing right in front of me. I couldn't think of what I should say, until I saw the graduation cap in his hands. "Congrats Henry. I'm really proud of you." I hugged him and he hugged me.

"Thanks Amanda. That means a lot to me."

We held on eachother for a long time.

I finally decided to let go. "Henry, I need to talk to you." He became interested and it was then that I knew he probably knew what I was going to say. "This year…" I was suddenly interrupted by some girl wearing a graduation robe and cap.

"Henry, it's time to go."

"Okay Alexa, I'll be right there."

She looked at me and gave me the evil eye. I think she was one of Henry's _many_ exes. Usually, I wouldn't care about that look, but it reminded me about my reality. I could never be with Henry.

"So you were saying?"

He snapped me back to now. "Oh, uh, I forgot. I don't think it was that important anyway."

There was a honking and yelling for Henry coming from a red car of some sort that was twenty feet behind Henry. I looked at it while Henry turned around for a quick second. He started to show signs that he was in a hurry. "Well, later, there's a party at my house. It would be great if you came. I really need to talk to you about something." He quickly hugged me, then ran off.

At my house, Caroline and I sat on the floor in my room, looking through our yearbooks. She was trying to convince me to go.

"Caroline, I'm not going!"

She laughed. "Oh yes you are! He invited you to a _Senior_ party! You're going!"

"Technically, they're freshman in college," I corrected her.

"Even better! He wants to talk to you. That wouldn't look good if you stood him up."

I flipped the page and found a picture of Henry. His blue eyes pierced my heart. "Fine, I'll go."

Out front, there was no sign of a party, but I was caught off-guard when I got inside.

At our school this year, each grade had its own personality. The seniors, they were/are the party animals. And _that's _and understatement for what I saw.

I didn't even recognize the house. Dixie cups of the color blue and gold (school colors) covered the floor.

The front entry of the house was a little like mine. It opened to the ceiling, but the grand staircase was in the middle and it had hallways on each side that led to different places in the house.

The house looked barren. Not people wise but furniture wise. I think the Hewitts were smart enough to lock-up everything of importance.

I took a few steps forward. Other than the sounds of plastic cups clanking on the floor, the sound of plastic that painters put on floors when they're painting was rustling. I look down to see the plastic covered the floor of the whole house. Hewitts=experienced. They obviously knew what they were doing.

"Amanda?" Henry parted a crowd of people to our left and walked towards me. He hugged me when he reached me. He didn't smell like alcohol, but he did smell like weed. When we let go, he had this weird look on his face, probably because he's high. "We need to talk." He looked around. "Meet me in my room in five minutes." He walked away and disappeared in a crowd of people.

Five minutes. That gives me enough time to… I ran to the closest bathroom which was down the hallway on the right of the staircase. It was next to the door that led to what I believe is Mr. Hewitt's study. So I peed. It had been a long and busy day.

As I was washing my hands in the porcelain sink, I could hear the conversation of girls outside the bathroom.

"So Madison, what did Henry say?"

"He told me he wanted to talk," Madison responded.

"Talk? About what?" a new voice asked.

"Emma, he obviously didn't mean talk, right Madison?"

"Of course not!" They all broke into laughter. "Let's just say Henry's not the talking type. After tonight, we'll be back together."

They continued talking, but I don't know about what. I zoned them out. I was in a trance as I stared at myself in the mirror.

What was I thinking? A senior and a freshman? Wait! No. A high school _graduate_ and a high schooler. It's not possible. It never was possible. Madison, his ex-girlfriend, is the one he wants. Not me. He won't even remember that he asked me to come talk to him in the morning.

"Are you almost done in there?" the loud voice of Madison called out to me after her three bangs on the door. It woke me up from my trance. I didn't respond. I didn't want them to see the tears that I just realized were rolling down my cheeks. "Are you deaf?"

I started to make a plan. I could walk out of the bathroom, and pretend like I was actually deaf, or I could just wait till they leave...which they eventually did.

I cracked the door open and looked around to see if they were still there. It was then that I started to run. I stopped where the staircase was and looked up it. All I would have to do is walk up it and go straight and that would lead me to Henry's room, but I'm not going. My mind was telling me I was making a good choice. My heart said otherwise. I looked at my phone. I was supposed to be up there two minutes ago. I shook this off and continued to run and ran out of the house back to my house.

That's where it ends. Sometimes I regret not going up those stairs when I had a chance. Who knows what would have happened? Henry does. But two days after the party, Henry was gone. I didn't say goodbye. He tried to, but I wasn't home. I was with Alexander. I went home that Saturday night and told Alexander yes.

"Is this the famous Alexander Moretti?" Henry asked as he put his hand out to shake Alexander's.

Alexander grabbed it and shook it. "Yes it is. You must be the famous Henry Hewitt. Amanda's former next-door-neighbor." Alexander looked at me. If only the Hewitts didn't move.

Henry laughed. "Former. That's weird to hear. I've known this one since she was a baby." It's true. It was through me did he learn how to change a diaper, bottle feed a baby, almost everything a guy needs to know to raise a child. Haha! I'm probably the first girl he's ever seen naked! My mom told me that Henry would always come over with his mom just to come play with me. He was my first friend. It was also because of me that he loves children, one of the many reasons I like..._liked _him.

"Well, it's nice to meet someone that's known her so long," Alexander laughed. "Maybe you can tell me some embarrassing stories about her."

WHAT! "Henry! My parents will want to see you!" I was quick to change the subject before Henry could tell Alexander _anything_. I grabbed Henry's arm and pulled him to my parents who were talking to my piano teacher.

"Good job Amanda! Best performance yet!" Mrs. Freedman, my piano teacher, exclaimed with a hug then walked away.

"Mom! Dad! You remember…" I began to say.

"Henry Hewitt? You look so grown up!" my mom exclaimed.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hicks." He shifted to where he was standing up straight.

My dad put out his hand and Henry shook it. "What branch are you in? Marines?"

"Yes sir," Henry responded with politeness and respect.

Alexander walked up to me and held my hand. "So Henry, what are you doing here at this piano recital?" Alexander asked, and even though the others didn't notice, I could hear the tenseness in his voice.

"It's my Christmas break. My niece, Gracie, played in the recital. My sister couldn't come so I came in her place." He turned to me. "I didn't know you were still playing."

"The deal is to finish through high school." I gave my dad a stern look.

"You were _really _good. I don't think you should ever stop," he told me.

I blushed. Alexander squeezed my hand.

"Henry! How about you come over for dinner tonight?" my mom asked.

Alexander squeezed my hand harder. I was starting to take this as a bad sign.

"Oh no. I couldn't," he rejected the offer. He thought for a second.

"Henry, you should take the offer," I whispered to him, despite Alexander's death grip on my hand. He looked at me, smiled, then agreed. My parents were happy and told me they'd see me at home. I hugged Henry goodbye and told him I'd see him later.

I walked with Alexander to his car. When we got in the car, he held the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"I think you killed me hand," I joked as I rubbed it. He didn't respond. "Alexander," I reached for his right hand and held it.

"I don't like him." He turned the car on.

"He's just an old friend. Nothing bad is gonna happen," I reassured him. He was silent. "Oh my God. Is he one of them?" He was still silent. I let go off his hand and buried my face in my hands. "Oh God, he is!"

"No."

I look up at Alexander.

"No, he's not, but I wish he was."

I began to laugh. "I understand now. You're jealous!" My laughing became louder.

"Okay! So what if I am? I have a good reason to be," he was being serious. I stopped laughing because I could tell something was bothering him. "He still likes you. I could tell by the look on his face."

WHAT?! "What?! He _still_ likes me? Then that means…"

He nodded. He knew exactly what that meant.

I was silent. Trying to comprehend this. "OH MY GOD! I have to tell…" Caroline. She was right.

"I hope you don't let this go to your head."

I knew what he meant.

I took his hand again. "Alexander, I want you to know that…" He looks at me. "It's you. It has been, and always will be, you." I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You have nothing to worry about."

"So Henry, when do you plan to ship out?" my dad asked him.

"Hopefully in the summer," he responded with enthusiasm.

"Hopefully?" I called out.

My dad sat at the end of the table. My mom on one side and Henry on the other. I sat next to Henry and Odys sat next to Mom.

"See, that's a real man. Excited to go risk his life for his country."

My mom quickly changed the subject. "Amanda, honey, will you please take everyone's dishes?"

"I'll do it Mrs. Hicks," Henry volunteered. He reached for my plate, but I told him I'd take my own. I followed him to the kitchen where we put the dishes and silverware in the sink. Silently, we washed them off and put them in the dishwasher.

When we were done, Henry asked, "Wanna go for a walk?"

I nodded.

We walked down the street, towards the old playground where we used to play when we were kids. It seems so long ago. A time when I didn't care about Henry's and my age difference. When we could be ourselves and not be judged. When a girl and boy could be friends and nothing got in the way of that. When they could be friends and it doesn't matter that they're opposite genders.

"What did you mean 'Hopefully'?" I asked him.

"I want to do something with my life for once. I want to be out there, protecting our country for the greater good. I'm tired of being that rich kid that had everything done for him."

I was silent.

"How's school?" he asked with his hands in his pockets of his uniform. I could tell he was happy that he could finally relax and not have to be so uptight for his Marine image. Same old Henry. I was happy to see that the Henry I know was still there.

I shrugged.

He laughed. "That's all I get, a shrug? No drama?"

"Oh, there's been drama."

"Like what?"

I was silent. I couldn't tell him. I couldn't put him in danger. Chris or one of his minions could be watching me.

He stopped me. "Amanda Hicks won't tell me about her drama? Wow! Either things have changed between us, or you've changed." He sighed. "You've really matured, grown-up, in these past couple of months."

"Well, a lot has happened. Things that made it where I _had _to grow-up." Or it would mean death.

"Like what?" I could hear the curiousness in his voice.

I sighed. "I can't tell you."

Without telling me, I knew he had accepted that fact. Hopefully, I will eventually be able to tell him when Chris no longer threatens the lives of everyone I know and love.

We started to walk again, but in silence. Then he decided to change the subject. "How's Caroline? Y'all still friends?"

I looked in the distance. We were about to reach the playground. "Caroline is dead," I spoke with no emotion.

He stopped me. "What?!"

I spoke with no emotion, trying to hold back the tears. "She was murdered the night before school started."

He pulled me in and hugged me. "I'm so sorry Amanda! I wish I had known."

I held him. It was nice to have his arms around me. His warmth. He and Alexander both had a warmth that I loved to be wrapped in, but their warmth's were different from eachother's. "I've missed you Henry."

"Amanda…" he started to say. When he pulled back, he noticed something on my right shoulder. "What is that?" he exclaimed. I covered the snake that was starting to wrap around my shoulder with my left hand.

Even in a dress, under a spotlight, in front of a bunch of people they didn't notice the snake! This shoulder was on the audience's side! But Henry could clearly see it at night. I don't understand people.

"Is that a tattoo?" He poked it. I cried out in pain. "You got a tattoo!"

"No! It's a bracelet!" I screamed out by accident. Oh no…

"A bracelet? Isn't a bracelet supposed to be on your wrist? And on top of your skin?"

I became silent. I couldn't say anymore. He sighed at my silence, once again accepting it.

We sat down on the wall that was at the edge of the playground.

"Amanda, what happened that night?" he wasn't looking at me, but I could tell from the side that there was hurt in his eyes.

"What night?" I had to be sure on what he was talking about.

"The night of graduation. I asked you to meet me in my room and you never showed up. When I came out, I saw you running out my front door."

"Oh...you saw that." I was ashamed. He did remember.

"And then, when I tried to come talk to you, you weren't home."

"Why didn't you call me?" I was annoyed.

"Because I wanted to see you when I talked to you!"

"Why? Why did it matter so much to you? You had Madison, and Alexa, and every other girl you once dated!"

He sighed. "Are you serious right now?"

I nodded. I wanted him to say it.

"That night, I was telling Madison that she needed to back off. She just couldn't get over me. And Alexa, she was nothing. All those girls I ever dated were nothing to me. They were nothing compared to you."

"To me?"

"To you! Amanda, that night, I was going to pour my heart out to you! I was going to shout to the world that I…" He stood up and spread his arms out. "I love Amanda Hicks!"

"Henry!" I pulled him back down. I strangely wasn't embarrassed, I just didn't want Chris to hear, or worse...Alexander. I didn't want Chris to take him away from me too. I didn't want Alexander to get mad at me and leave me.

He held my hands. "Amanda, I've always loved you, since the moment I held you as a baby. I've just been too scared to admit it."

I scoffed. "Because I was younger." I was looking at the swings that were swinging in the wind.

He turned my face back towards him. "Because I was afraid of rejection...by you."

I scoffed again. "That's a joke."

He ignored what I had said. "When you started dating Alexander, I believed I didn't have a chance. Then you told me that y'all weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend and that's when I knew I had one last chance, and I was going to take it that night. I didn't care that I was going off to military camp, I just wanted to know that there was something there. Something that would still be there when I came back." He laughed. "Amanda, I don't know about you, but for me...it's still there."

"Henry. The night before graduation, Alexander had asked me to be his girlfriend, but I wasn't going to give him an answer till after graduation. And then I heard Madison talking about how y'all were going to do 'more than talking', so I ran because I knew that _us _was not possible. I went home and told Alexander yes."

He sighed and shook his head. "I know that you're with Alexander, but please tell me that you still have feelings for me."

"Henry, I'm sorry, but what you were afraid of is really happening. You waited too long. I love Alexander." WOAH! I have never said that out loud before, except in that dream. "I'm with Alexander now. And anyways, what would have happened? You went off to military camp. You're hundreds of miles away."

"I understand that, but I was hoping that you'd be willing to wait for me, because I'm willing to wait for you." He took my hands. "Amanda, I want you to know that even NINE years from now, I will _still_ love you."

I shook my head. "You say that now."

**Friday, December 23****rd**

I looked at the snake. It was slowly wrapping around my shoulder, almost fully finished. I was home alone. My mom went to go do some last minute Christmas shopping and took my brother with her. My dad was finishing up his work at the hospital/office so that he'd be free for Christmas. I had my biggest knife I could find in the kitchen laid next to me as I wrapped presents.

_DING-DONG! _There's rapid knocking coming from down stairs. I picked up the knife and walked out the room, down the stairs, and to the front door. I hid the knife behind my back before I opened the door.

"Jeffrey? What are you doing here?"

He looked distressed and he was looking around all paranoid. "We have to go."

"What? Why?"

"It's tonight. The fight is tonight! I got to get you somewhere safe."

I looked at my shoulder. "But the snake says…"

"Forget the snake! It's tonight and you need to be safe!"

I was skeptical. "How do I know I can trust you?" Trust no one, right?

"Because Alexander sent me! He told me to take you to the Dallas Arboretum."

"Where's Alexander? Why isn't he taking me?"

"Because Chris wouldn't expect you to be with me. And Alexander will meet us there."

It was enough for me to believe him, but that doesn't mean I was going to let my guard down.

I went upstairs to get my jacket and my purse and I put my knife in it and my phone. I had four weeks of training. I was ready for anything.

When I went back downstairs, Jeffrey was already in his car. I stopped and stared at the car that helped kill Caroline. I finally got in.

"Amanda, I'm sorry," Jeffrey apologized.

"Forget it," I responded with anger.

The park was closed, but that didn't stop us from sneaking in.

We walked through the arboretum looking at all the beautiful gardens.

"So, what are we supposed to do? Just wait?" I asked him. It suddenly got colder outside.

"I guess so."

We walked for about five minutes in silence. I wanted Alexander.

"Do you think there's a bathroom around here?" I asked him.

"I think there might be one at the gift shop."

We walked for what seemed like forever, but we did find the bathroom. I went inside and started calling Alexander.

"Amanda? What's up?"

"What do you mean what's up? Where are you?"

"I'm at home. Where are you?"

"At the arboretum with Jeffrey. You're supposed to be meeting us here. Jeffrey said the fight is tonight."

"Amanda, the fight isn't tonight."

I was silent. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw the look of complete shock and terror on my face. Alexander kept repeating my name, afraid something had happened to me, but I was too in shock to speak.

At that moment, my pain is in my shoulder. With my free hand, my left hand, I grab my right shoulder.

"Oh shit," is all I can say in the phone. The pain!

"Amanda. Even though it's Jeffrey you have to kill him. Don't think of how he's my best friend. That doesn't matter anymore. That person you see out there isn't the Jeffrey you and I know. Think of how he killed Nancy. Think of how he helped kill Caroline! Take your knife and kill him!"

I reach into my purse for the handle of the knife, but I don't get anything. I squat down and set the phone down on the floor and put it on speaker. I set my purse down and start searching for it. All I find is the empty knife cover. "Alexander! I can't find it! I know I put it in here!"

"Looking for this?"

I quickly stand up and turn around to see Jeffrey waving around my knife. His eyes are red and he's smiling like I've never seen him smile before. His smile is pure evil. His face is pure evil. His eyes are pure evil.

This isn't Jeffrey.

"Jeffrey. Please, you don't have to do this."

Alexander is still on the phone and he's screaming things that I can't understand.

"Oh good. Alexander will be able to hear me kill you."

Who is this person? I don't even recognize him anymore. He's not the Jeffrey that I've come to know and love.

Jeffrey starts running towards me. He swings the knife at me and I duck. I run out of the bathroom. I hear a crash of some sort right as I exit.

I run. To where, I don't know. I just run to wherever. I start seeing signs of this glass exhibit. It was perfect. I was gonna break off a part of one of the exhibit pieces and use it as a weapon.

I reached an area where there was a teepee and a log cabin. I went into the log cabin hoping there was something I could use as a temporary weapon. As I'm ransacking the little cabin, in the window I see Jeffrey run up. He knows I'm hiding.

My heart is racing, and not in a good way like when I had to fight Havoca. The way when you're being chased and you know you're going to die. I guess the fact that it was Jeffrey also kept me from feeling exhilarated.

All I could find was a metal pan.

I hid to where he couldn't look through the window and find me. I locked the door, but that wasn't going to hold him back.

He walks up the steps to my cabin's door. He looks in the window. "Here's Jeffrey!" He kicks down the door. I immediately smack him in the face with the pan. He gets knocked out. I look for the knife, but I can't find it. It's probably under him, but if I move him, he'll wake up. I take my pan and decide to run out to the glass exhibit.

I find it in the Woman's Garden. Using the pan, I break off two spikes from a green glass thing. I run to the reflection pool. I get in the little pool and walk to the end of it. There's no where left for me to run.

"Oh pitiful Amanda…" I turn around and hide the spikes behind my back. "How I wish Alexander was here to see this. _But_, that doesn't mean he has to miss _hearing_ this." From his pocket, he pulls out my phone. Alexander is still on the phone.

"Amanda!" I faintly hear him call out.

"Dear Alexander, I'm about to kill your girlfriend." He throws me the phone and I catch it, dropping the two spikes in the water. Jeffrey starts running for me, knife ready, but the water is making it difficult for him to run fast.

I throw my phone into the grass and see a boat of glass orbs a foot away from me. I pick one up and throw it at Jeffrey. Here's me using my resources. I continue to throw them until one hits him in the head and he falls into the water. I quickly pick up the two spikes and run over to him.

He's starting to regain consciousness. I lift up the spikes as I stand over him with him between my legs. "Here's looking at you kid," I say right before I stab him in the lungs. The two spikes go in without hesitation. I fall on top of him as I stab him over and over again with the spikes. At this point, I have forgotten that it was the body of Jeffrey that I was killing even though the real enemy was the demon inside. All I saw was Caroline's killer. "That was for Caroline."

He spits up blood, smiles at me, then his head slowly goes underwater as he slowly dies. I could've sworn I saw him say, "Thank you," when he smiled at me.

Even underwater his eyes stay open. I watch as the red in his eyes disappears. There's the Jeffrey I know. Dies with a smile.

I take the two spikes out and throw them into the water. Again, all evidence must and will be washed away.

"Amanda?! Are you there?" I hear Alexander faintly screaming from the grass. I run out of the pool and over to the grass where I find my phone.

I'm panting. Between breaths I'm able to get out, "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm so sorry, Alexander. Jeffrey's dead."

"'Here's looking at you kid'?" Alexander laughed. We were in his bedroom eating popcorn and watching _Moulin Rouge_. I know it's a girl movie, but since I defeated Jeffrey, Alexander let me choose the movie and he had to watch it no matter what.

"Well, after his 'Here's Jeffrey', I'd thought we were quoting movies."

He laughed. "Well, you did a good job." I could tell he was still sad about Jeffrey, but he was putting a show on for me. I didn't talk much about it to him, because it also made me sad.

We finished watching the movie. Don't worry, I don't spoil the ending because they already tell you how it ends in the beginning of the movie.

"That sucks," I say.

"What?" he asks me.

I sit up. "As soon as they finally have no one in the way of their love and they can finally be together, one of them dies!"

"But that doesn't mean that they won't always love eachother. It'll always be there."

**Saturday, December 24****th**

I looked at my face in my mirror. You could clearly see that I was getting weaker. And me always being sick wasn't helping my strength.

There was a knock on my bathroom door. "Amanda? Are you okay?" It was Alexander.

I opened the door and went back to looking at myself in the mirror. Downstairs my parents were having a Christmas Eve party. I was in my green dress with a red ribbon tied around the waist. I was wearing a shawl to hide the snake that was on its way to my neck. I couldn't wear heels because I was too weak. Even in my most beautiful party dress, I still felt ugly and disgusting looking. "Alexander, tell me the truth. Do I look horrible?"

I turn around towards him. "Do you want the truth or the lie?"

I smile at this. "Lie to me."

"You look horrible." He smiles at me, but I can tell something is wrong.

I walk up to him and put my arms around his neck and kiss him softly. I then go back to looking at myself in the mirror. "Alexander, my parents are starting to wonder. They think I might have cancer or something. And if they take me to the doctor and he finds the snake...I don't even know what's going to happen to me."

"Amanda. They found Jeffrey. The police are starting to think that all the murders are linked. Caroline's, Nancy's, and Havoca's."

Good thing there's no evidence.

I didn't want to say anything mean about Jeffrey. He was Alexander's best friend, and I killed him. And I also loved Jeffrey. He was like my second brother. But I guess you could say Alexander and I were even know. His best friend killed my best friend, I killed Jeffrey. "I'm sorry Alexander." I hugged him.

"Don't be sorry. I warned him. Told him that if he ever gave me a reason to, I would kill him. It's good that you did it, because I don't think I would have been able to go through with it."

**Wednesday, December 28****th**

I sat in the third row and watched as Alexander gave his speech about Jeffrey in front of everyone in the sanctuary. Alexander and I have switched roles. The church was packed to the brim with everyone from their class. I think there would be more if it wasn't winter break.

Alexander told funny stories about Jeffrey, like the time they had almost burned down Jeffrey's fence. When he was done, he came and sat down next to me. I wrapped my arms around his right arm and put my head on his right shoulder.

"That was really good, Alexander."

He looked down at my right shoulder and saw that the snake was about to start wrapping around my neck. I looked up at him to see this strange look on his face. It was a mix of anger, regret...revenge.

I started to stroke his arm. "Alexander," I whispered. "It'll all be okay. I'll be okay."

He kisses me, longer than usual. When we finally stop, he whispers in my ear, "Happy seven month anniversary."

**Friday, December 30****th**

"Amanda! Come listen to what the news is saying!" my mom screamed from the TV room.

I run in to see pictures of Caroline, Nancy, Havoca, and Jeffrey on the screen.

"_Police are now saying that they think the murders of these four teens are somehow connected. They believe that they are possibly dealing with a serial killer. Police Chief Bryan Barron had this to say._"

The news went to a press conference. "_It is a possibility that we have a serial killer on our hands. We are still looking in to how these teens, who all are from Highland Park, are connected, and so far we only have that Jeffrey Graham's and Caroline Landry's best friends are dating, Caroline's best friend once dated Nancy's brother a year ago, and that Havoca Michaels and Caroline Landry were in the same grade at HP. Nothing more than that. We are reopening the cases and will be digging deeper into the evidence. The police department will be sure to keep the public updated to ensure their safety. But, for now, I ask the public not to panic. Thank you._" He walked away from the podium.

I walked out of the room and started calling Alexander. I ran up to my room and shut the door.

His phone went to voicemail, so I left a message. "Alexander! You need to call me back! The police are trying to find a connection, and you and I connect them. I'm freaking out! This is getting out of hand! Call me back!"

I set my phone down on the table. Oh no… Here it comes.

I run to the bathroom and lift up the toilet seat. I begin to vomit.

I walk back into my room right as Alexander is calling me. "Amanda, everything's going to be okay. We have no reason to kill our best friends, or anyone for that matter, so therefore they have no reason to suspect us. And anyways, this will all be over soon." I walk into my bathroom and look at the snake in the mirror. It's wrapping. The color in my face was fading. "Then we can pin this on Chris."

"I kind of feel bad pinning this on Chris."

"He'd pin it on me, or you!" He paused then sighed. "Are we still going to Luke's New Years party?"

Luke throws the best parties. "Of course!"

**Saturday, December 31****st**

I continuously called Alexander, but he wouldn't pick up. It was eleven thirty-six. He was supposed to pick me up two hours ago. I would have driven to Luke's already, but Alexander has me worried. What if something bad happened to him?

I decide to go wait outside for him, even though I was wearing a short gold and silver dress. I walked towards the front door and noticed a letter taped to it from the outside. When I got it, I noticed it said, "Amanda" in Alexander's handwriting on the front of the envelope.

The letter said,

"Dear Amanda,

As you know, I am to die when I go against Chris, and whether I kill him or not is not foretold. As I watch you, I see the snake wrapping itself around your neck. I cannot bear to see this any longer, especially knowing that it'll kill you if I don't kill Chris."

No...

"Tonight is the night I am to fight him. The snake is almost done."

Oh God…Alexander.

"I know you don't want me to, but I have to. And knowing you, you will try to find me and stop me, but I will be dead when you find me. I will be dead at midnight. I'm sorry. And since I'm going to die, I want to die with a clean conscience. I lied about the snake curse. It said that you are supposed to fight Chris...and die. But since I'm taking your place, I will die. Only one of us can live. You die, I live. You live, I die. But if I don't kill him, you must. I'm so sorry Amanda. I hope you don't hate me. I don't regret doing this and you shouldn't too. I want you to know that I'd do anything for you because Amanda...I love you. I love you! I love you more than anything. I love you so much that I am willing to die for you. If you ever died, when I could've prevented it, I could never live with myself. That is why I'm doing this, because I love you. Keep that in mind, because if I die at the hand of Chris, use that anger as fuel to destroy him, but don't let it cloud your judgement. With that anger, you will be able to kill him without feeling. That anger will bring you back the strength that you have lost. Whatever he says or does won't stop you from killing him. I know you can do this. That anger you have built up over the year against him is power."

I was crying at this point.

"I'm doing this so that you can live the life that you are to live. A life without me. Again, I'm sorry. And remember, I love you."

I couldn't believe any of it. I literally have no words for what I just read. All I can think of is to go find him. Go save him before Chris kills him.

Now, where would Chris be? Knowing Chris, he wouldn't pick a place a place he's not familiar with.

I tried to remember that place that Chris always wanted to take me (it's where him and his friends like to hang out), but his mom wouldn't let him. It was some abandoned place. A good place for a fight that ends in people dying.

What was it? A warehouse? A hospital?

No! A church!

First, I ran to the kitchen and got the biggest knife I could find, then I ran into the garage, got in my car, and drove to the Nathanson's. I rang the doorbell and knocked on the door.

Mrs. Nathanson answered. "Amanda? What a surprise to see you."

"Where's that old church that Chris likes to go to?"

She looked at me confused. "The one twenty minutes down the crossroad? He's not there if you're looking for him. He's at Warren's."

She sadly doesn't know the truth. "Do I go left or right?"

"Amanda, I already…"

"Left or right!" I screamed at her.

"Left!" she screamed in terror.

"Sorry Mrs. Nathanson! And thank you!" I run to my car and start driving to the cross street. I turn left and drive towards the pancake house where Chris had first murdered Caroline. I drove past that to the church.

I walk through the church doors in the sanctuary. There are rows of pews destroyed and piled against the walls. Everything has been destroyed. The sanctuary is ready for what's about to go down. Across from me, at the front of the sanctuary, is Chris waiting...for me.

"I didn't think you would show," he said to me from across the room.

I didn't respond, I just walked across the room, halfway. Chris did the same.

"No weapon Chris?"

"No. I thought I'd use yours." He points at the sword in my left hand, the one with the silver handle. "Thought it would be ironic."

"What'll be ironic is when I kill you with this sword."

"And it'll be ironic when I kill you with that sword." He pointed to the one in my right hand with the gold handle.

He laughed, but then stopped.

There was a mental countdown in ours heads. As soon as he stopped laughing, I put up both my swords, swung them over my head and brought them to cut Chris at the neck and waist. Chris dodged it with a backflip.

I continued to try calling Alexander as I sped down the road, probably going over the speed limit. It was getting close to midnight, but I am almost there.

My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, saw it was Amanda, winced at the sight of her name, the thought that I'll never get to see her again, and threw my phone into the wall where it shattered into a million pieces. A tear fell down my cheek.

Chris finally gained his composure after I had kicked him into the wall. He was holding the sword he had taken from me. The exact one he said he would take. The one with the silver handle. "What's wrong Alexander? You know, it's not too late to save your life. Give me hers for yours. It's selfish, I know, but it'll be a win-win for both of us. Amanda lives, with the exception of her soul being gone and that she would be mine, and you will live too knowing that you saved her life...sort of."

I spoke slowly. "Her life is worth more to me than my own. You'll never know what that's like."

He becomes angry, jealous, and runs towards me.

It was only a few minutes until midnight. I had finally reached the church. I saw Alexander's car and parked next to it. From my passenger seat, I took the knife and left the car.

The church didn't look abandoned except for the dead flowers, weeds, and overgrown grass.

With the knife in my right hand, I ran through the massive sanctuary doors and into the sanctuary where I found Chris holding one of Alexander's swords, the one with the gold handle, walking towards the unconscious Alexander that was against a wall, ready to stab him. They were on the other side of the sanctuary, towards the front. The moonlight from the stained glass window that was above the balcony filled the room. The pews were against the walls, and I could see that some of them had been destroyed. I looked to see that another sword was fifteen feet ahead of me. It had a silver handle.

"Chris!" I screamed at him.

Chris stopped. He whispered something under his breath. It sounded like my name. He dropped the sword on the ground. It landed with no sound. He turned his head to the side so that he was looking over his shoulder. His eyes were bright red. He was smiling devilishly.

I flinched at the sight, finally grasping this other side to Chris, but then realized something. I was no longer afraid of him. I was no longer scared of dying. Like Alexander said, I have my anger. Anger that I will use against Chris...to kill him.

He fully turned around and walked side to side. "Don't try to fool me, or yourself. That anger doesn't hide the fact that you're scared of me." It was as if he had read my mind, but the change of expressions on my face probably gave it away.

I shook my head and walked closer to the sword, but tried to seem casual about it. "I'm not scared of you, so don't flatter yourself."

He sighs. "Amanda, when will you stop fooling yourself?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Love. _Our_ love."

I scoffed and spat at the two words put together. "You've got to be kidding me. You seriously need to get over yourself."

"I love you Amanda! Why don't you understand that? You obviously feel the same way about me!"

"Obviously? I never made such thing obvious!" This was sad.

"That day at your house, when you kissed me, I knew you weren't over me. That our love was still there."

"I only did that for closure. There was no love in that! There was never love! It was all a game to you. A challenge. A chess game. I am the pawn. But I will no longer be your pawn. I will no longer play your _stupid_ game. This time, it's my turn. You're playing my game now. You play by my rules. And my rules are that I keep my soul. You die. Alexander and I live. Alexander and I love." I pause. "I don't love you Chris. I never have...and I never will!"

I could see the anger building up in him. "I'll give you two choices. Don't give me your soul willingly, Alexander dies while you live. Live with knowing that your selfishness killed Alexander. Give me your soul willingly, you live and Alexander lives but you will forever be mine until the day you die."

"Never!"

"You will love me, even if I have to force you to!"

I laughed. How pitiful. "It won't be real Chris. It won't be what Alexander and I have. I will never _truly _love you." I was almost at the sword.

"Well then…" He stared at me. His stare was cold. I did the same thing back, but my stare was not as strong as his. He walked back towards the sword and picked it up. I reached the other sword, put my knife in my left hand, and picked up the sword with my right hand. I somehow knew what was about to happen.

"Chris, don't," I commanded as I walked towards him.

I started to walk faster towards Chris as he got closer to Alexander. "If I can't have you…" He lifted up his sword. I was running know. "Then Alexander won't either!"

"NOOOO!"

The sword went into Alexander's chest, and I could see as it was coming down, Alexander regained full consciousness. His eyes opened in surprise when the sword pierced his chest. Chris laughed a terrible and evil laugh. I stopped running and fell on my knees, dropping the knife and sword. Alexander slowly looked at the sword that was piercing his chest. He looks up and sees that I am there, and an even more terrible look appears on his face. A look that no words can describe. A look that somehow shows every possible emotion all in one. He then mouths, "I'm sorry." His eyes close and his body goes limp.

Death was lingering on his face.

In the distance, I could hear a clock signaling that it was midnight.

The anger built up inside of me. Alexander's death was the push I needed. In that moment, I was no longer weak. The snake curse no longer existed. I was the strongest I have ever been in my entire life. I could literally feel the adrenaline rushing through me.

I slowly picked up the knife with my left hand, and the sword with my right. I clenched them so hard my knuckles turned white.

I ran towards Chris, full speed. I lifted up the sword, ready to slice Chris to pieces. As I got closer, Chris realized what was about to happen, pulled the sword out of Alexander's chest, and clashed it against mine.

Our swords were crossed, our eyes locked. Next thing I know, he pulls back his sword and goes in for a swing. I dodge it with my sword. He goes in for a jab, and I kick the sword up out of his hand. It goes flying in the air. For that moment, he takes his eyes off of me, reaching for his sword in the air. I use this moment to my advantage.

I use the knife to stab him in the chest, but he jumps up to grab his sword as soon as I do so I end up stabbing him in the stomach instead.

When he's back on his feet, he slashes the front of my body, diagonally, starting from my left shoulder to my right hip. He cuts my dress in the process. It stays intact with the exception of skin is showing, but I don't care. I don't care about the pain either. I don't bother to check how deep he cut. All I care about is killing him.

Before I can return his strike with one of my own, preferably a fake jab to the chest but instead slash his face like he slashed my body, I watched, with amazement, as Chris pulled the knife out of his stomach. "Was that supposed to hurt?" I watched as the wound immediately healed.

He threw the knife at me, piercing my mid-thigh on my left leg. I fell on the ground clutching my leg.

"Shit!" I screamed. The pain was excruciating! I was about to give up right there and then but then I saw Alexander and I remembered what I came here to do.

I pulled out the knife, biting my lip so hard that it starts to bleed. I throw the knife at his chest, but he catches the blade with his left hand and throws it back. I watch it come towards my face. I turn my head to dodge it, but it ends up cutting my cheek.

I lightly touch my right cheek then look down at my hand. All my fingers are covered in blood.

I get up and run at him. _CLASH! _Over and over again we hear the clashing of our swords. The striking of metal. We dodge each other's attacks. Then, we both lose our swords.

We stare at each other blankly.

From the corner of my eye, I see Chris's right leg lifting for a kick. I cross my arms, clenching my fist, and block the kick, but he grabs my arms in the process. He turns me around and pulls me close to him. My arms are still crossed.

"Amanda," he whispers in my ear. I don't know what his deal his, but he seems to like whispering in my ear a lot. "Give it up. You will live either way now that Alexander is dead."

I see my sword, the one with the silver handle, a few feet in front of me. I remember the move Alexander taught me when in this position.

Palms facing down, then push down.

I smile. "Never."

In a single motion, I'm out of his grip and running for the sword. I landslide, like they do in baseball, to get it.

I quickly got up and ran towards Chris again, who had gotten his sword too, this time he dodged my charge by jumping over me, slicing my back with his sword. I fell to the ground on my knees. I lost my grip on my sword when Chris cut me and it slid somewhere in the room.

Again, I felt pain on my back. Chris cut my back again so that I now had an 'X' on it. "X marks the spot," he said. He placed the tip of the sword at the back of my neck so that with a single movement, it would go straight through my neck. I knew that would kill me instantly giving him no chance to take me soul. He knew that too. I was considering this as an alternate route. "Now Amanda, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"You already killed Alexander, I have nothing left to live for. I will never let you take my soul." I pulled my head forward, and was about to bring myself to swing my head back into the sword, when suddenly I couldn't breathe. The snake was choking me. It was hard for me to bring myself to bang my head into the sword.

"You spoke too soon." Chris started laughing. "Kind of hard to try to kill yourself when something else is killing you."

It was impossible for me to move. Not only did it feel like I was being choked by an actual snake, but it also felt like venom was coursing through my veins, making every muscle in my body burn and deteriorate. Two feet away from me I saw the knife. I started reaching for it when suddenly, Chris grabbed a hand full of my hair and pulls me back and slams me onto the floor. I never get hold of the knife. I heard the sound of a sword falling to the floor. He must've put it down. He no longer needed that sword. It was no longer of use to him. Chris's new free hand is grabbing my neck.

"Amanda," he sighs. He shakes his head in complete shock. "I never thought this day would come. Well, I did, but I didn't think it would be this easy." He laughs to himself.

I was able to get a few words through. "The snake curse made it easier. You did nothing you weak piece of shit.

"Oh Amanda. Poor, naive Amanda." He pushes a piece of hair out of my face. "My people didn't just make it to weaken the soul, it was also to get people out of the way. I wanted to make sure that Alexander would be out of the picture, because I knew that he would never let you give up your soul. And look!" He grabs my face and turns my head towards Alexander. "I've succeeded. Since he fought me, he put both of y'all at risk! If only he didn't fight me and just let me take your soul, he would still be alive."

The snake's chokehold was getting tighter. "He's not selfish like you."

Chris's grip on my neck tightened, making everything in my body sting with pain. It felt like knifes were slowly digging into my skin. "If it wasn't for your soul, I would kill you right now."

"But you love me, remember?" No more can I speak after that.

"That's true, and once I take your soul, you'll come to appreciate my generosity." He started to lean in. "You're now going from my pawn...to my queen." I watched as he picked up the knife. He started to cut something into my chest. The pain from that only added to the pain from the snake. "A scarlet C for you my Amanda. Now you are forever mine." His lips started kissing mine. I finally knew what if felt like to have one's soul taken. It felt like a gust of wind was rushing through my body, up my throat, and out of my mouth. The pain was sensational. I actually wanted him to have it.

Then...I heard the piercing of skin. Not my skin. I see a sword coming out of Chris's chest where his lung is. Chris stops kissing me. Chris couldn't breathe, and when he coughed, blood came out of his mouth and landed on my face. The sword was pulled out of his chest, and Chris fell on top of me, revealing Alexander standing up behind him with a sword in his hand. The one with the silver handle.

I looked at Chris. The red in his eyes did not disappear.

I gasped at the thought of how all of this turned out. Just like the story of Lorenzo and Alessandro.

The wind that had escaped my mouth just a few moments ago was now returning home. It felt better than when it left.

"Checkmate," he said with a roughness in his voice that I have never heard before.

"Alexander," I whispered with hope as I wiped Chris's blood off my face and pushed his body off of mine...but then I saw his wound and the blood that covered his once white shirt. Alexander dropped the sword, then he fell to the ground. "Alexander!"

I ran to him, catching him, slowly laying him down. I rested his head on my outstretched leg. My dress was short enough for me to be able to feel the softness of his hair on my knee. It felt like we were on one of our first dates again. Where he took me to the park and we had a picnic, getting to know each other. Coming to like each other more and more. Eventually coming to the point where we would lay on each other.

Tears started streaming down my face.

"Amanda," he spoke softly.

I grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare die on me Alexander."

Tears were coming from his eyes. Imminent death streaming down his face and out his wound. With my free hand, I put it over his wound and put pressure on it. I felt the blood seeping through my fingers. It was warm. He put his other hand on top of my hand and added pressure and his warmth.

"Amanda, let me see your smile one last time."

I could see the blood that was in his mouth. I tried to smile, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. "I can't Alexander."

"I know you can. Just try," he asked softly.

I shook my head. For the first time ever, I couldn't smile for him.

He coughed and blood came out of his mouth. I quickly let go of his hand and wiped the blood off his face. Before I could go hold his hand again, he started to caress my face with his. I put my hand on top of his. "That's okay. All I need is to see your face."

"Alexander, you can't leave me."

"I have no other choice. You _have _to live."

I saw the knife a foot away from me. "Not without you." I picked up the knife with the hand that was placed on Alexander's and pointed it at my heart.

"No!" He grabbed my wrist and used all the strength he had left to pull the knife away from me. I finally gave in and dropped the knife.

"Please Alexander!" I put my hand on his face. I felt his stubble, the muscles in his face. I was going to miss this. Seeing his face everyday. Feeling his big hand grab my little hand, especially when I was scared. Feeling his warmth. When he would kiss me and it made my heart stop everytime. His laugh, boy was I really going to miss that. When he would laugh at me even when I didn't make a joke. But the one thing I was going to miss most of all was his smile. They way his eyes just...LIT UP when he'd smile at me. Those perfect white teeth standing out against his dark skin.

He started to hold my hand that was touching his face. "Alexander, I can't live without you. You're laugh. You holding me. You're smile. You're love."

He smiled. "You could always make me smile. Since the moment I met you."

That moment in the training room, when I helped him take the tape off his ankle. Then he took me home...because I didn't have a ride home...and he knew who I was.

"Alexander, how did you know I was Odys's sister?"

He immediately knew what I meant. He smiled as he remembered that day. "After I left the training room," he had to pause. His breathing was shortening. "I went back to the locker room where I started telling Jeffrey about you. That's when you're brother talked to me and told me to take you home."

Odys. Alexander and I came to be because of Odys. "We'll have to thank him." I couldn't come to terms with it. Living without Alexander. "Alexander…I love you."

"I love you Amanders." He smiled like he never smiled before. I smiled back. He held my face now, feeling the features of my smile with his thumb. "There's that smile."

I leaned down and kissed Alexander one...last...time.

In the distance, I could hear sirens. I'm guessing I scared Mrs. Nathanson so much that she called the police...again.

I moved my hand off Alexander's wound. I carefully moved his head off my leg and onto the floor, supporting it with my left hand which I used to play with his hair. Then, I wrapped my right arm around his waist. I laid down next to him, putting my head on his chest.

"I won't leave you Alexander." I whispered to him. I began to sing "As She's Walking Away", but the version he sang to me at the pep rally. I laughed at his athletic trainer references in his version. In my head, I could hear him singing it. It was as if I was back in that pep rally, watching Alexander in shock as he sang so beautifully.

The police suddenly came barging in through the sanctuary doors. They had their guns up, yelling orders at each other and to us.

None of us moved. I blocked them out. I just wanted to lie there on Alexander's warm chest.

**Thursday, March 1****st**** 2012**

"_We all remember the incident of two months ago when three teens were found in an abandoned church, one of them a serial killer. They are now calling it the HP Massacre. Chris Nathanson was a regular ninth grader at Highland Park High School...until the night before his first day of high school when he killed his ex-girlfriend's best friend. We are now told that he went crazy and started threatening Amanda Hicks. Those that he killed were just innocent kids trying to get him to leave her alone. He even kidnapped and killed his own sister. But on New Years..._"

I turned off the small TV in the kitchen. When I turned around, I saw Odys leaning against the counter peeling an orange.

I smiled at him. "Odys, I know it was you who had Alexander take me home that day." He smiled. "I want to thank you for what you did."

He set his orange down on the counter to hug me. "You're my little sister. Seeing you in the condition that you were after Chris, I knew you needed something to make you happy… I was also tired of hearing you cry in your sleep. It really messed with my beauty sleep." He let go of me and touched my stomach. "I knew Alexander would bring you happiness."

I playfully nudged him in the side. "Thank you Odys."

I started to walk away out of the kitchen.

"Amanda?" I turned around. "I'm sorry it ended the way it did between you and Alexander...but that doesn't mean you should give up piano. You were amazing at it."

I took in consideration of what he said and walked to the piano room where my beautiful black Steinway and Sons grande piano was waiting for me to play it once again. I sat at the bench. On the sheet music stand was "Moonlight Sonata". Alexander's favorite song that I play...played.

For two months I haven't been able to bring myself to play piano. I opened the cover. I felt the cold ivory keys with my fingertips as I rested my head on the music shelf. I slowly played the first three notes of the right hand of the song, but stopped. I couldn't play it. It reminded me of Alexander.

"Amanda," a familiar voice whispered.

"Alexander?" I called out.

"Play the song, Amanda," he commanded.

Without a thought, I started to play the song just as I played it at the recital. Not a single mistake was made. When I was done, Alexander appeared in the opening to the room.

"Alexander!" I called out as tears were streaming down my face.

He came and sat down next to me at the bench. "I can't stay for long Amanda."

"I don't care. I miss you." I hugged him and he hugged me back.

"Amanda, I need to tell you something."

I let go of him and looked at him confused. "What?"

"It's time to let go of me. You need to move on."

"I don't want to move on Alexander."

"You have to Amanda," he took a deep breath. "There is more out there than me." He touched my stomach. "Now Amanda, when an opportunity comes knocking, I want you to take it."


	13. Epilogue

**8 Years and 9 Months Later**

**Friday, December 4****th****, 2020**

Three knocks on the door are what interrupted Amanda teaching her class of fourth graders about the American Revolution. She put the history textbook down on her desk and walked towards the door. Behind the door was the biggest surprise of her life.

"Henry Hewitt?" She opened the door even more to reveal Henry wearing a Marine military dress uniform. His peaked cap was under is right arm. He was bigger than she remembered him, muscles wise. His hair that could be messy and he'll still look hot was nicely combed back. His white-as-could-be teeth and his prettiest-blue-eyes-in-the-world eyes stood out the most because of his natural tan that showed her that he had been outside a lot in his eight years.

He had aged just as she had. Both looked like adults now. Not like the teens they remember seeing.

He peaked his head into the classroom with a smile on his face. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

She looks at the classroom, each kid staring at Henry with amazement, then back at Henry. "Actually, we were just talking about how George Washington led America to victory in the American Revolution."

"Are you in the Army?" a boy blurted out from the front of the class.

Henry laughed and looked at Amanda. "May I?"

Amanda opens the door more so that he could pass through. "By all means!"

He walked in and leaned on the front of Amanda's desk where he set his cap down. "That's a good question, but no. I'm a Marine."

A girl raised her hand and Henry pointed at her, motioning for her to talk. "What's that?"

He looked at Amanda, nervous. The Marines was hard to explain, especially to a classroom of fourth graders. "Well," then back at them. "The Marines are like the Army and the Navy put together. We can basically do anything, because we're the best." He laughed as he put this opinion of his in the heads of fourth graders.

The class oohed in amazement.

"Class, continue reading to yourselves from where we left off." She walked out of the classroom, Henry following after he picked his hat off the desk. He closed the door behind him, and when he turned around, she was looking at him with eyes full of questions. "I haven't heard from you or seen you since December of my tenth grade year!"

"I know and I'm sorry." He hugged her, and it took her a second before she returned it. "I've missed you Amanda."

"I missed you too, Henry." The tears started to swell in her eyes. She fought hard to try to keep herself from crying, but it was too much for her.

They stayed silent and hugging for a while. Neither were ready to break this moment with talking yet.

"Ms. Hicks?" a squeaky voice softly spoke.

She wiped the tears from her eyes before she looked at him. "Yes?"

"School's about to end."

"Thank you, Freddy."

Freddy closed the door as he went back into the classroom. Amanda turned back around to Henry. "Just wait here and I'll be out in five minutes."

He nodded and she went back into the classroom.

Henry stood there in the yellow locker lined hallway and thought about what he had planned out. Last time he had saw her, he told her that he loved her, and always had, but she rejected his love because she was with… But his love for her was still the case now, though he wondered if she was already dating someone, or maybe even married. He didn't notice a ring, yet, he wasn't looking for one, and that boy called her Miss. He didn't care, though. He wasn't going to give up this time.

For eight years, he held a picture of her close to him, never losing it. It was a picture of her that his parents had sent him when she and her family came and visited them in Austin at their lake house over the Fourth of July. Her parents had gotten her a new puppy so she brought it with her too. It's name was Sarah, a golden retriever. She was sitting on the ground, looking up at the fireworks, with her new puppy sitting between her legs also looking up at the fireworks. Her face was lit up from them. She looked so beautiful. It was the picture that helped him keep going through the war. It was the only thing he had left of her to hold on to in those eight years.

The bell rang and kids of all ages and sizes started to come running out of the classrooms. The hallways went from silent to the volume of a train station. Lockers opening, kids screaming, teachers yelling. It wasn't until the hallways were silent and empty again did Amanda come out of the classroom.

"You ready?" she asked as she put a bag around her shoulder and her iPhone in her right hand. He nodded. They walked down the hallway towards the front exit. "I live close by the school so we can just walk, but do you mind if we get Alexander before we talk?"

All his hopes were crushed as soon as she had said his name. If she was married, then there was no way he had a chance. He looked at her left hand. No ring. He still might have a chance. "Yeah, that's fine. Where is he?"

"He's waiting for us at the school playground." He found that strange but he didn't question it.

Outside, the air was cold and uninviting. This winter was extra cold. They walked out the front of the school and towards the playground that was just across the street.

"So Mr. Hewitt, you're obviously not Private Hewitt anymore. What should I call you now?"

He placed his cap on his head. "Staff Sergeant Hewitt."

She looked at him with shock.

"Hi Mom!" a little boy with dark skin and dark brunnette hair exclaimed as he came running up to them. He green eyes that looked identical to Amanda's.

"How was school?" she asked as she picked him up and smiled.

In Henry's mind, he was confused. _Is it a coincidence that there is a little boy named Alexander in her arms? He called her Mom so she must be his mother, but there's no ring on her finger, so is she divorced? And also, he looks too old for her to be his mom. Could she have…_ Henry was confused out of his mind and had so many questions.

Alexander looked at Henry with confusion and answered distantly, "It was fine. Mrs. Robinson wasn't there today so we had this boring sub that didn't do anything."

"Alexander, can you say hi to Mommy's friend Henry Hewitt?" she asked.

He looked at Henry curiously, but suddenly a giant smile appeared on his face. "Hi Mr. Hewitt!"

Amanda put Alexander down. He ran around in front of them as they walked together silently.

They reached Amanda's house. It was a small cottage with a small front porch that had a porch swing. _A big downgrade from what we grew up in_, Henry thought. Alexander ran up the walkway and into the house. Amanda sat down on the porch swing and patted the seat next to her motioning for Henry to sit next to her.

"You thirsty?" she asked him. He shook his head.

Henry looked at the houses around hers. They were much different from Amanda's. Bigger.

Amanda looked at Henry, nervous. He was finally here. Henry. For eight years she waited for something. A call, a letter, anything, but it never came. And now, he was finally here, a familiar face. All her old friends were still around, but she still couldn't tell them what happened. They wouldn't understand. Henry was the one person she could tell anything to back in ninth grade when he picked her up from school, and he wouldn't judge her. He always understood. She would tell him about her relationship with Chris, or about the drama. He would always listen to her no matter what and gave her advice. Then, Alexander became that person, until his demise. But Henry was back, so was she gonna tell him everything?

"How old is Alexander?" Henry broke both of their trances.

"He just turned eight back in August."

Eight? Then that must mean… "Is he yours?"

She laughed. "Of course! Why would I have a child that old at the age of twenty-five?" Her laughter suddenly stopped, and she became distant and sorrowful.

"What's wrong Amanda?"

A tear fell down her cheek. "So much happened after you left." She was looking at the cross she had put in the little flower bed in front of the porch. It had Alexander's name engraved on it.

He lifted up his hand and wiped away her tear. "What happened? You know you can tell me anything?"

She looked at him with eyes of yearning, yearning to tell him the truth. "If I tell you, you promise you won't think I'm crazy?"

He lifted his right hand. "I promise."

She told him everything, starting from Caroline's death to Alexander's. She finally got to explain the snake curse.

After she finished, she stopped talking and let the silence take over.

Henry was looking down the street. "Wow."

"You think I'm crazy." She got up but he grabbed her hand. She looked at him, but he still wasn't looking at her.

"No," he looked up at her. "I don't. After everything I've been through, everything I've seen, anything is possible. But, I don't understand one thing. If you had used protection that was sure for you not to get pregnant, how were you still able to?"

She laughed and sat back down. "I asked the Morettis the same question. Mr. Moretti said that when God gave them their responsibility, in order to keep it going, every Alexander _must _have a son before they die. So I guess me getting pregnant at sixteen was in God's plan no matter what." She hugged him. "Thank you for understanding." As they pulled back, they looked into each other's eyes. She knew they were about to kiss, so did he, but she pulled away before they could. "So tell me, what are you doing back in Dallas? I thought your parents moved to Austin my tenth grade year?" She was looking at her wrist. The snake bracelet was there. It was _still _there. She would have taken it off eight years ago, but it won't come off. It's not over, though she wish it was. Multiple times she has tried to pry that thing off her wrist, but nothing works. All she wanted to do was forget her past...the bracelet kept her from doing that.

"I had some stuff to clear up."

She raised one eyebrow, curious. "Oh really? Like what?"

"Like the last night I saw you."

She sighed. "Henry…"

"For nine years I've thought of that night. The night when I was finally able to tell you what I was going to say at the graduation party. The only thing that was holding you back was Alexander. But now, there's nothing in the way. And it's nine years later and I still love you, just like I told you I will. Amanda, you can't honestly tell me that though it's been nine years, you don't love me the way I love you?"

Go on Amanda… Tell him the truth! Tell him that you love him!

She began to speak. "I…" Without warning, he grabbed her face and kissed her. He kissed her like the world was going to end if he didn't. He kissed her as if he had waited his whole life for this, which he did. Amanda kissed him back. It was the kiss she had waited her whole life for, too.

She smiled as they pulled away. "Henry. You have no clue how long I've waited for that kiss. For this moment."

He smiled. "Amanda, I love you. I always have."

She sighed in relief. "I love you, Henry." She stood up and held her hand out, which he took. They intwined their fingers. "Let's go inside. I'll make the Moretti family recipe lasagna for dinner." So she finally gave it to you, huh Amanda?

They walked inside and closed the door behind them.

This is as far as I can go.

I look in the window and see Alexander playing with my old remote controlled dump truck. Amanda's dog, Sarah (which is now full grown), is chasing it. I never knew that my parents kept that, or that it still worked so well. Henry walked up to Alexander and started playing with him and Sarah. Henry points something out and next thing they know, they drive the dump truck into a side table and a picture frame falls to the floor. Amanda came in, angry wearing a Star Wars apron her dad had given her for Christmas her ninth grade year. There was tomato sauce all over it. Sarah came over and started licking the sauce off her apron. I swear, she is the messiest cook in the world. Amanda yelled at them to be careful and they said sorry. Before she went back to the kitchen, she noticed the picture frame on the floor and walked towards it while Henry and Alexander continued to play. She picked it up, stared at it for a while, then gently set it back on the table. It was the picture we had taken at the Trevi Fountain in Rome when I had kissed her on the cheek and the look on her face when I did was priceless. I could see that coin in the air. I could see the one in my hand.

I notice that above the fire place is the urn. Royal blue with gold detail. My name in gold.

The smell of my family's lasagna was seeping through the windows and the door. I was gonna miss this. Yes, I'll see my son grow up, but I won't get to be a part of his life. I won't get to teach him about the responsibility, my dad will have to do that for me. But all in all, I am happy to know that Amanda will be happy with Henry.

Amanda, he was your true destiny, not me. Yes, what we had was love, but your love for him was always greater. It was a love that had been around since he held you as a baby. When he fell in love with your laugh. When you fell in love with his warm and caring eyes. A love as old as time itself.

It's him. It has been, and always will be, him.


End file.
